


More Than Meets the Eye

by EcstaticAce



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Adorable Choi Soobin, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Best Friends Huening Kai & Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun-Centric, Dead Character, Depression, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, He's stuck in purgatory, Hurt Choi Yeonjun, Inspired by He's Coming to Me, Kang Taehyun is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Purgatory, References to Depression, Social Anxiety, Soft Choi Soobin, Strangers to Lovers, Sweetheart Choi Beomgyu, Thriller, Yeonbin, dead!yeonjun, maybe? - Freeform, taegyu, txt, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:15:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28991289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EcstaticAce/pseuds/EcstaticAce
Summary: Soobin is a college student that's able to see those who are stuck in purgatory. It's a gift he's had since he was young, becoming accustom to seeing the dead along with the living. But what happens when he meets a boy around his age that doesn't know how he actually died? Can Soobin help him discover what actually happened? Can Soobin figure out what events occurred before the boy passed? Did somebody kill him? Were they out for blood? Can Soobin find a killer?*This is inspired by a TV drama called "He's Coming To Me." It's a GREAT drama, and I really suggest you watch it! Due to this inspiration, a couple things from the show will be incorporated into this story but not everything will be the same. I hope you enjoy it!*
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun, Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 62
Kudos: 82





	1. Just Another Day

“Okay, one final down. Just … four more to go.”

Soobin sighed as he walked out of the classroom, the hallways of his college quieter than usual since most students were in class. Soobin was happy that one of his classes ended earlier than the others, because he was one final closer to the summer break. He walked through some hallways before seeing the exit of the building, a sign of his freedom for the day.

He placed his hand on the door to push it open, the cool breeze allowing him to get some fresh air. He took a moment to soak in the view: the trees finally full of leaves, the warmth of the sun, the flowers blooming, and the fountain in the middle of the courtyard giving the scene that extra touch of tranquility. Soobin took one more deep breath before moving towards the fountain.

The outside was slightly busier than the building he was in, a lot of students heading to the library to continue studying for finals. His bookbag slung across his one shoulder began weighing him down as he remembered just how many books he stuffed in there this morning in preparation for his classes.

Once he reached the fountain, he set his bookbag next to him and took a look around. He had always been a more introverted person, especially around those that he didn’t know well. He preferred to isolate himself from others if it meant less awkward interaction. However, he also liked to observe life around him, although “life” may not be the right word to use.

Soobin had be born with the unique ability to see the dead, but not just any dead person. He could only see those that are stuck in purgatory, or at least that’s what he thought. He hadn’t understood his ability until he was about eight or nine. When he was younger, Soobin’s parents assumed that he was just making up imaginary friends, since he had such a hard time making friends in school early on. When Soobin was a little older and tried to show his parents the people that kept interacting with him, his parents continued to scoff and blow it off, causing Soobin to become more and more quiet about it.

It wasn’t an easy thing to grow up with, yet alone understand. Soobin had continued to try and find answers as he grew up, but he couldn’t find anything reliable. He even went to a couple counselors to see if his mind was just creating hallucinations, but a lot of his counselors thought that these “people” he was seeing was just a way for his brain to create friends of sorts. Eventually, he gave up, deciding to keep his ability to himself, even if it did drive him mad every once and awhile.

He quickly realized that interacting with those in purgatory was not an easy feat. Even though Soobin could see them, no one else could. So, on the outside, it looked like Soobin was talking to himself or a ghost, neither option looking appealing to the common passerby. He realized quickly that talking the dead in public was probably not the best idea unless he wanted to look absolutely crazy. To combat this, he stopped talking to the dead over time, part of his brain hoping they would eventually go away if he kept blocking them out. Soobin’s idea was that, if they didn’t know he could see them, they wouldn’t try interacting with him. And so far into his college life, it seemed to be working.

The only difference between the living and those stuck in purgatory was the aura around them. As Soobin continued to recognize he had this special ability, he began to see colored auras around those stuck in purgatory. After talking to the dead when he was younger, he began to piece together what he thought each color meant.

**Blue** meant that the person died before their time or before they should have. The person would be stuck in purgatory until they reached the time they should have died. For example, if someone died suddenly at age 52 but should have died at age 55, they would be stuck in purgatory for three years before they could move on.

**Yellow** meant that no one had sent the person off. Soobin didn’t realize the importance of sending someone off to the afterlife. This could be in the form of a funeral or some sort of ceremony. Sometimes, Soobin hated seeing this color the most, because it usually meant the person would be stuck in purgatory forever unless someone decided to have a late funeral or ceremony for them to pass on. However, Soobin realized that this was very unlikely.

**Red** meant that the person doesn’t know how they actually died. The person could usually move on from purgatory after figuring out how they actually died, but that could be complicated for someone who’s dead to figure out by themselves.

Soobin was still learning about the dead every day. He noticed that they can’t touch anything, their bodies and limbs able to go through any object. This became interesting when he’d see a person walk through walls, trying not to look shocked every time a new person would just pop into a room. They also would never age, at least not physically. So, if a person died at the age of 25, they would continue to look 25, even if they’ve been stuck in purgatory for fifty years.

He also realized that most of the dead stayed around the area where they died. When he was little, he had always wanted to interact with the dead to try and prove to his parents that he could see them. He realized though that, after a certain distance, the person would disappear, as if they couldn’t travel past an invisible boundary. After some research, there were a couple old articles stating that, if an incense was lit, the dead could travel indefinitely, but Soobin had never actually tried it since he was trying to avoid the dead as much as possible.

As Soobin looked around the courtyard, he saw a couple of the dead mixed in with the living, most of them adults. He saw mostly yellow auras mixed in with a couple blue hues. He smiled before turning to his bag, pulling out his laptop and one of his textbooks. He was hoping to get a head start on his homework so he could relax and treat himself for finishing that final earlier.

After sitting at the fountain for about fifteen minutes, he heard a loud shout from across the courtyard but chose to ignore it. Most classes were being let out at this time, so Soobin was prepared for the courtyard to become rowdier than before. However, there was one voice that continued to pierce through the others. After trying to focus on his work for a couple more minutes, he found it to be useless with that voice continuing to yell.

Soobin looked up, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. After scanning the area, he noticed two guys walking side by side with someone trailing behind them, waving their hands in front them as if to get the two boys’ attention. Soobin watched this for a couple seconds, seeing the man stop waving his hands after becoming obviously frustrated.

The man took a turn away from the boys and moved towards the fountain. Soobin quickly looked back at his laptop, not wanting the boy to know he was watching him. When Soobin focused, he could see an aura forming, proving his theory that the boy was dead. It made sense as to why those two boys couldn’t hear this man’s shouting. The first thing Soobin noticed was the long pink hair pulled into a ponytail, an identifying characteristic he would never forget.

Soobin tried to steal quick glances up from his laptop as the man reached the fountain a couple feet away from him. He still looked upset and even slightly distressed, causing Soobin’s soft heart to ache slightly. The worst part about ignoring the dead was when they were obviously upset or distressed and he chose to do nothing about it. Soobin continued to try and get work done as the boy pulled his knees into his chest, his arms hugging his legs as he placed his head on his knees. The boy continued to sigh, making Soobin try to focus on his work even more.

“I can’t believe Taehyun and Kai can’t see me. I’ve been trying to get their attention for a month now. Why can nobody see me?” The boy let out another sigh of frustration, his arms pulling his knees even closer to his chest. “This sucks. I would do anything for them to see me, or even just hear me.”

Soobin continued to eavesdrop, his typing becoming slower on his laptop as his brain kept keying in on what the boy was saying. After becoming a little too distracted, he accidentally knocked his textbook off the side of the fountain and towards the boy.

“Shoot.”

Soobin was halfway to picking up the book when the boy tried to kick it, his foot going right through the object. He huffed, moving his arms across his chest and pouting. Soobin pushed away the urge to glare at him, picking up the textbook and opening it back to the page it was on. When he set it back on the fountain, he could hear the boy whisper a comment.

“This guy is such a klutz.” He continued to pout, looking away from Soobin.

“I may be a klutz, but at least, I’m not rude.”

Even though Soobin thought he whispered this very quietly under his breath, he realized his mistake the second the boy shot his head in his direction. Soobin brought his attention back to his laptop, trying to ignore the man’s eyes burning into his skin.

“You … you can hear me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome back if you're coming from another story or Hello to everyone new. So, this is (hopefully) going to be a mystery/thriller book, and I'm excited to write about TXT. So, I hope you all enjoy the story! =^_^=


	2. Aura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! As promised, here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it! =^_^=

“You … you can hear me?”

Soobin kept his focus on his laptop, his fingers typing continuously. He could still feel the man’s stare on him, the heat of the spring day not making the situation any easier. All he wished for now was a slight breeze to take away some of the heat.

_Okay, Soobin. Don’t indulge him. You already screwed up by saying something in the first place. If you just focus on your work, he’ll get bored and leave you alone. At least, I hope so. But … I feel bad for him, trying to talk to people that have no idea you’re there. Maybe I should …_

“Hey. Hey!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that the man had moved closer to him, only sitting a couple feet away now. He was also waving one of his hands in front of him as if trying to get Soobin’s attention. The more Soobin tried to focus on his work, the more he became distracted by the man next to him.

“Can you see me, too? Hey! Can you see me?”

Soobin could see the man was still waving his hands in front of him, showing no sign of giving up. Saying the movement was distracting was an understatement, making Soobin think of moving to a different spot to study. Soobin sighed, closing his laptop and grabbing his textbook without looking at the man to his side. He could see a pout forming on the man’s lips, a sigh leaving his body.

Just before Soobin could stand up and move to a new spot, the man had tried touching Soobin’s arm, his hand going straight through him. Whenever the dead had moved through Soobin, whether on purpose or by accident, it had always caused his body to shiver and go cold. Soobin visibly shivered, flinching away from the man’s touch.

“Hey, don’t do that.”

Soobin realized his mistake right away, quickly standing up and beginning to walk towards the library to try and get the rest of his studying done. Even though he wasn’t facing the man, he could tell he was being followed. The courtyard had become emptier as time passed, most people moving on to their next class or returning to their dorms to relax, something Soobin really wished he could do right now.

“You _can_ see me. And hear me.” Soobin continued to walk faster, trying to put some distance between them. The man just jogged back up to him, walking by his side at the same pace. “But … why are you ignoring me?”

Even though Soobin was now walking at such a fast pace it could almost be called speed walking, the man kept up, his feet in time with Soobin to be sure he didn’t lose him. Soobin continued to ignore the man, causing the man to stop dead in his tracks as Soobin kept moving forward. Once a couple feet away from the dead boy, Soobin heard him huff under his breath, but it came out more disappointed than anything.

“I finally find someone that can see me, and they want nothing to do with me. Great.”

Soobin stopped dead in his tracks, sighing as he turned his head to the sky with closed eyes. He hadn’t realized that the man had turned to walk back to the fountain, already a couple feet away from him at this point. When Soobin turned his head to see behind him, all he saw was the man slumped over and looking absolutely dejected, his hands in his pockets.

_Soobin, I know what you’re thinking. You feel bad. I get it. You always feel bad for the dead, especially when they’re trying to communicate with the living. But this is a bad idea. A really bad idea. And …. we’re walking towards him. Great._

Soobin didn’t know what compelled him to walk back towards the man. He could usually ignore the dead around him, having had plenty of practice at it. But something about this man seemed different. He couldn’t put his finger on it quite yet, but what he did know was that he couldn’t see the man look so depressed anymore. After gaining some ground on the man since he had been walking so slow, Soobin looked around him before speaking up, the courtyard empty at this point.

“Hey.”

This one word caught the man’s attention, stopping in his tracks before looking over his shoulder. Soobin could tell the man was upset, his hands still in his pockets and his shoulders slumped.

“What? _Now_ , you want to talk to me?

Soobin could hear the sting in the man’s voice, becoming anxious that it was directed towards him. Soobin never did well when interacting with the living, yet alone the dead. Soobin took a deep breath and scoped his surroundings one more time, the area still empty except for a stray student on the other side of the courtyard. After being sure no one would hear him, he looked directly at the man.

“Look, I’m sorry. But do you know what people will think if they see me talking to you? No one else can see you. I’ll look like I’ve lost my sanity if people see me talking to … nothing.”

The man huffed before turning back towards the fountain. After a couple steps, the man stopped and sighed loudly before turning back towards Soobin. He kept his hands in his pockets, walking towards Soobin until they were only a couple feet apart. Soobin continued to look around him to be sure no one was around.

“I just hate being ignored. Do you know what it’s like to be dead? Where no one can see you or hear you? And the people you care about have no idea you exist?” The man took a pause, as if he was trying to keep his composure. “I hate it here.”

Soobin took a deep breath, his anxiety settling as he kept his attention on the boy. Even though Soobin had been able to see the dead since he was really young, he still couldn’t imagine what it would be like to watch everyone and everything around you while they had no idea you even existed. Although, Soobin had never been able to make friends easily, sometimes feeling isolated in his own way. Which is why he knew he’d never be able to avoid this man for long. The man was looking at his feet, Soobin deciding they needed a fresh start.

“I’m Soobin.” Soobin waved his hand once by his shoulders as a way of greeting the man. He would have gone in for a handshake, but he didn’t want to feel the man’s hand go through his body again.

“Yeonjun.”

Yeonjun copied the motion, laughing slightly. Even though he’d never admit it, it was nice to have someone notice him and talk to him. He saw Soobin laugh, the boy’s dimples a feature that Yeonjun would never forget. Yeonjun could see Soobin constantly looking side to side as if someone would catch him.

“Want to sit back at the fountain?” Soobin used his hand to point behind Yeonjun, the fountain still creating the peaceful scene from earlier.

“Sure.”

Yeonjun smiled, waiting for Soobin to catch up to him before they walked to the fountain together. Once they both reached the fountain, they sat next to each other. The sun was still blaring, causing Soobin to unbutton his shirt a little in hopes of getting some circulation through the fabric. He set his bag next to the fountain as he turned towards Yeonjun, sitting cross-legged with his hands on his knees. He took a couple more looks around to find the place deserted.

“You keep looking around you. Are you really that scared of people thinking you’re crazy?” Yeonjun spoke as he copied Soobin’s posture, now sitting cross-legged as well.

“You don’t get it. I don’t … I don’t have many friends and like to keep myself isolated. The less attention on me, the better.” Soobin moved his arms across his chest, the sudden feeling of insecurity and anxiety taking over.

“I guess you’re right. I was pretty popular here before I died.”

Soobin watched as Yeonjun looked around sentimentally. Soobin saw something in his eyes that resembled sadness and regret, but he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t until Soobin processed what Yeonjun said that he paused.

“Here? You mean, you went to school here?” Soobin was in awe, trying to place the boy in any of his memories. Yeonjun laughed before looking back at Soobin.

“Yeah, I went to school here. Is it weird to say that I miss it?”

Soobin placed his hands on his lap, his full focus on Yeonjun who was still looking around the area. After a couple seconds, Yeonjun sighed before looking straight at Soobin. Soobin immediately moved his sight to his hands, fingers now playing with the fabric of his socks.

“It’s not weird. It’s natural to miss something, especially if you had friends here. Did you know those two guys from earlier? The ones you were shouting at?”

Soobin said it with a slight snicker in his voice, happy when Yeonjun seemed to brighten up slightly. He saw Yeonjun sway his bangs out of his eyes before speaking.

“Yeah, they’re my friends. I’d do anything for them to see me at least. It’s crazy talking to them one day and not being able to the next.” Yeonjun’s expression soured, playing with his fingers as he looked around the courtyard. “But it’s nice to finally talk to someone. Well, someone that’s not dead, that is.”

Yeonjun chuckled, looking around the courtyard one more time before returning to Soobin. He was still playing with his socks, almost as if it was out of habit. Yeonjun bit his lip, debating if he should say something about it. After a couple seconds of silence, Yeonjun decided to break it.

“Soobin, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Soobin popped his head up, giving Yeonjun his full attention.

“You’ve been playing with your sock for a couple minutes now. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just anxious. And I left my anti-anxiety medication in my dorm, which is my fault.”

“Why are you anxious, if you don’t mind me asking that is. I don’t think I’m that scary.”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun before moving his glance back down towards his feet. Soobin had his lower lip stuck in his teeth as his fingers moved to play with the fabric of his shirt. Yeonjun could do nothing but watch the behavior unfold in front of him, his smile leaving as Soobin continued his behavior.

“I’m just … I’ve never been good at meeting new people. It’s always made me anxious since I was young. I mean, my medication isn’t just for when I meet new people of course, but it does help.”

“Soobin?”

“Yeah?” Soobin directed his attention back to the man in front of him, his fingers permanently entangled in his shirt.

“Thanks for sharing that with me. I can imagine that it’s not easy to share something so personal, even if it is with a dead person.”

Yeonjun chuckled slightly before directing his gaze back to Soobin. It was as if those couple sentences calmed Soobin down slowly, his teeth letting go of his lips and his fingers moving to land lightly on his knees.

“Thanks. Ugh …” Soobin paused, not sure if it was appropriate to ask what he wanted.

“What is it?” Yeonjun became curious, leaning in slightly.

“If you don’t mind me asking, and you don’t have to answer, but …” Soobin looked at Yeonjun before looking back at the sky.

“Yes?” Yeonjun was leaning in even more, not wanting to miss the question.

“When did you die? If you went to this college, and those two guys were your friends, it couldn’t have been long ago. Maybe two years?” After silence fell between them, Soobin began to panic. “Sorry! I shouldn’t have asked. Forget I said anything!”

Soobin began to un-cross his legs in panic, ready to walk away if that’s what Yeonjun wanted. Just as he was about to stand up, he felt his knee flinch, a cold rush going through him. When he looked to the source, he saw Yeonjun’s hand had passed through him again.

“Ah, sorry. I keep forgetting that I can’t interact with objects or people. Did I hurt you?”

“No, it just gives me chills when you do that.” Soobin paused, waiting to see what Yeonjun wanted.

“Sorry, I was trying to comfort you, but I’ll put that on the list of things I can no longer do.” Yeonjun sighed in frustration. Soobin turned his head to look at Yeonjun, the man moving his hand through his bangs. Soobin took a deep breath before speaking up.

“Just talking to you is comforting. I’ve been avoiding the dead for so long, I forgot how much peace it brought me.” Yeonjun smiled, happy that he could comfort the man with his presence.

“But back to your question, I only died a month ago. I guess you must have missed the news.”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun shocked, not sure how he could have missed such a devastating event. Even though Soobin isolated himself, he couldn’t imagine missing something like another student’s passing. Although, to be fair, Soobin didn’t recognize Yeonjun from campus at all, meaning they must not have crossed paths before that he could remember.

“S-Sorry. I don’t remember hearing anything about it.”

“Yeah.” Yeonjun sighed, moving his legs into his chest. “It’s so stupid. I can’t believe I was that dumb.”

Soobin could see that Yeonjun was reminiscing about his passing, his eyes having a somewhat cold look to them. Yeonjun was looking in the direction of the library before looking up to the sky. Soobin followed his gaze, not seeing anything but clouds moving quickly away from them. Yeonjun sighed before looking at the fountain, the water causing a more serene environment.

“I went out drinking with my friends and overdid it.”

“Overdid it? What do you mean?” Soobin scooted slightly closer to Yeonjun, not wanting to miss a word. Yeonjun took a deep breath before continuing.

“We went to one of the bars around campus to release some steam. I’m a heavy drinker on a normal night out, but I was having a particularly bad day and went a little overboard. All I remember is leaving the bar late that night, waving my friends goodbye, walking down the street a little further, and feeling as if I was having a heart attack. The next thing I remember is hazy, probably because I was convulsing or something. And the next thing I know, I was back on campus in this very courtyard, but no one could hear me or see me. It was … terrifying.”

“That sounds terrible.” Soobin wanted nothing more than to comfort Yeonjun, but he knew there was nothing he could do. “So, you overdosed? Or got severe alcohol poisoning?”

Yeonjun chuckled slightly. “Me? Overdose? No, no. It was a reaction to my medication that many doctors warned me about.”

“A reaction?”

Yeonjun took a deep breath before locking his eyes with Soobin’s. Even though direct eye contact had always made Soobin uncomfortable, he wanted to give Yeonjun his undivided attention while he spoke.

“Even though most people on this campus saw me as confident, loud, and one of the most popular guys on campus, I was miserable. I started taking anti-depressants to help with the feeling when I was in high school. And they were working, but I was warned about the side effects with my anti-depressants and alcohol. I never had a problem before, but I must have just had one too many.”

Soobin was feeling a multitude of emotions. He felt that he could connect with Yeonjun on a mental health level, making everything seem fine on the outside when you were being torn apart on the inside. He also felt sorry that his death was so sudden and so recent, probably still not used to being stuck in purgatory. Soobin didn’t realize how much he was focusing on Yeonjun, the other boy looking back at the water as if to find some type on tranquility. It wasn’t until Soobin was completely focused that he became confused.

“Yeonjun?”

“Yeah?”

“I should probably say something. But, I’m not sure how to say it or if you’re ready to hear it.”

Yeonjun looked at him questioningly. After a couple seconds, Yeonjun scooted closer to Soobin, placing his elbows on his knees as he gave Soobin his undivided attention. Soobin was still torn with himself, not sure what to do.

“Say it. I can handle it.” Soobin looked at Yeonjun, smiling slightly before continuing.

“Well, while I can see the dead, there’s a little more to it. I can see colored auras around the dead if I focus, which can tell me why they’re stuck here and haven’t passed on yet.” Soobin looked at Yeonjun to be sure he was following. After a nod, Soobin continued. “Blue means that the person passed suddenly before their time. Yellow means that the person wasn’t sent off properly, like a funeral or ceremony. And …”

“And…” Yeonjun wanted Soobin to continue, not sure why Soobin paused. “Well, I know my parents held a funeral, so I probably have a blue hue, right?”

Soobin paused, looking at Yeonjun, the boy’s dark chocolate eyes once again burning into his skin. Soobin took a deep breath, shaking away the nerves before answering.

“Yours is red.”

“Red? What does that mean?” Yeonjun’s head was tilted towards the side, a slight pout on his lips.

“It means …” Soobin paused, taking another deep breath before continuing. “It means that you don’t really know how you died.”

Soobin had closed his eyes, slowly opening his eyes as if he was afraid of what Yeonjun’s reaction would be. However, when he opened his eyes, Yeonjun just looked confused and filled with doubt, as if he didn’t believe what Soobin was saying.

“Soobin, I just told you how I died. It was a reaction with my anti-depressants.”

“No, Yeonjun.” Soobin could see Yeonjun’s expression turning into one of almost disbelief. “You’re not dead because of that.”

“Something else happened. Something else killed you. Or … someone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens. So, Yeonjun has a red aura. How did he die? Was it a medical condition? Was it an accident? Was it murder? We'll have to wait and see.
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. As I've done on other stories, here are some questions to answer if you like:
> 
> 1) Has it snowed where you are? It's winter where I live, and we're starting to get more snow!
> 
> 2) What's your favorite soda/drink?
> 
> 3) What do you think is going to happen? Any theories? I'd love to hear them.
> 
> Thank you again! Hopefully the next chapter will be posted in a week or so. See you then! =^_^=


	3. Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! As promised, here is another chapter. I hope you all like it. =^_^=

Yeonjun just looked at Soobin in continued disbelief. The more Soobin focused, the more he could see the red aura around Yeonjun becoming clearer and clearer, now sure that it wasn’t a mistake. After a couple seconds, Yeonjun snickered, slowly standing up.

“Soobin, I think I would know how I died. You’re just messing with me.”

“Yeonjun, please, you have to believe me. The only way for you to pass on from purgatory is to find out what really happened.”

Soobin was still sitting on the fountain’s edge, looking up at Yeonjun as he saw the other’s expression become serious once again. Yeonjun’s expression slowly showcased a twinge of anger, Soobin convinced he would have saw steam come out of his ears if that were possible.

“You don’t believe me?” Yeonjun’s hands slowly formed fists, trying to hold in his anger as best he could. “How can you not trust me?”

“It has nothing to do with trust. I believe that you _think_ that’s how you died. But I’m just … I’m trying to help you.”

“By calling me a liar?”

Soobin could tell that Yeonjun was extremely upset, standing up to try and reason with him. But before he could reach out to the other, Yeonjun turned away from him, his ponytail bouncing with every aggressive step he took. When he was about seven steps away, Yeonjun stopped abruptly before turning around.

“Thanks for nothing.”

“Yeonjun …” Soobin took a couple steps towards Yeonjun before the other put up a hand.

“Just … leave me alone.”

Soobin stopped in his tracks, Yeonjun turning around to continue walking away from the fountain, heading towards the area with the dorms. All Soobin could feel was absolute dread, his heart aching at the thought of hurting somebody, even if that “somebody” had already died. Soobin could see Yeonjun put his hands back in his pockets as he disappeared from view. His anxiety began to spike, turning back around to sit at the fountain. He could feel tears starting to prick at the corners of his eyes.

_You were just trying to help. But you hurt him. You hurt someone. How can you live with yourself?_

The panic and anxiety began to settle in, his deep breaths now becoming harsh and faster. He knew he had to get his breathing under control or get his anti-anxiety medication. Although, seeing that his medication was a fifteen-minute walk away to his dorm, that wasn’t the best option. He interlocked his fingers, placing them behind his neck as he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing.

No matter what he did to try and calm down, his brain was running rampant with negative thoughts as his breathing became more erratic. His eyes were now closed permanently to try and gain some semblance of control. He couldn’t breathe, almost gasping for air. He was so focused on himself that he hadn’t seen a figure approach him.

“Soobin? Soobin, what’s going on?” The mystery person sat next to Soobin, slowly and carefully grasping onto Soobin’s hands and bringing them away from his neck and back in front of him. “Soobin, I need you to breathe.”

Soobin finally opened his eyes, seeing his friend in front of him. He could feel a calmness slowly overcome him, forcing his lungs to take a deep breath. It was painful, every breath feeling as if he was being stabbed. He held onto his friend’s hands, trying to look into his eyes the best he could.

“Beomgyu … I can’t. I can’t … breathe.”

“Yes, you can. Follow me, okay?”

Soobin squeezed Beomgyu’s hand, closing his eyes to focus on his friend’s breathing once again. Beomgyu kept his breathing timed and steady, helping Soobin regain his normal breathing pattern. When Soobin could finally breath on his own without Beomgyu’s help, he opened his eyes to see Beomgyu’s worried expression staring back at him. Soobin never liked seeing that look on Beomgyu’s face.

“Why are you here, Beomgyu?”

“I was playing some games with my other friends and decided to head back to my dorm. When I was passing through the courtyard, I saw you standing. And the next thing I knew, you sat back down at the fountain and seemed to be having a hard time. So, I came rushing over. Are you okay? What happened?”

Soobin had now calmed down, glad that Beomgyu had stopped by. Beomgyu was pretty much Soobin’s only friend on campus, the younger man able to make friends wherever he went. During Beomgyu’s freshman year, Beomgyu had always seen Soobin isolate himself from everyone else in the courtyard and around campus. When he realized that Soobin had a class next door to him during his second semester, he decided to talk to Soobin and befriend him. While Soobin was against it at first, he slowly became used to the shorter man’s loud and bubbly company.

Soobin knew he couldn’t tell Beomgyu the truth, trying to quickly think of an excuse. He looked to see his bag still next to him on the ground. He took a deep breath before looking at Beomgyu, the man not taking his light grip off of Soobin’s hands. The touch was comforting while he was still trying to regain his composure.

“I just had a hard day with classes and started to panic a bit.”

“Did you take your meds?”

“No, I left them in my room by accident, and I didn’t notice until I was already at my morning classes. I didn’t think it would be a problem, but I guess I was wrong.”

Soobin chuckled a bit, but Beomgyu could tell that the man was on the brink of losing his composure. Beomgyu squeezed Soobin’s hands one more time before standing up, the smile never leaving Beomgyu’s face. Soobin looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Why don’t you skip studying for now, and we can go grab something to eat. I have band practice later but would love to catch dinner with you before that. We haven’t talked in a while.”

Soobin smiled, slowly standing up and grabbing his bag. After checking that nothing was missing, he looked back towards Beomgyu, the ends of his lips turned up into a smile as he felt the remaining anxiety dissipate.

“That would be great, actually. Thanks.”

They both walked towards the main cafeteria of campus. It was only about a ten-minute walk from the courtyard, the warm air and subtle breeze helping to settle Soobin’s anxiety even more. He also enjoyed talking to Beomgyu, the popular man always busy with class, band practice, studying, or talking to the mass number of friends he’s made in only about two years.

When Beomgyu first talked to Soobin and mentioned being part of a band on campus, his first impression was that Beomgyu was a music major. His suspicion only increased after hearing Beomgyu play the bass in the band for the first time. So, when Beomgyu told him that he was a psychology major, Soobin was floored to say the least.

Even though Beomgyu and Soobin were somewhat opposites in the social department, they somehow made a great pair of friends. Beomgyu could fill the quiet with endless discussion on small topics, and Soobin could calm the boy down when the situation called for it. They balanced each other really well, a reason Soobin was glad he was his friend.

After getting their food, the two boys sat down at one of the few empty tables. Seeing that it was now late afternoon, the cafeteria was pretty full. Beomgyu had chosen a table towards one of the walls to try and be as far away from the crowd as possible, something Soobin was grateful for. After sitting down, Beomgyu spoke up.

“So, how are classes going? Didn’t you have a final coming up?” Beomgyu started eating his food after seeing Soobin dig in as well.

“Yeah, it was today. I think I did well, but we’ll see.” Soobin took another bite of food before continuing. “I’m just glad it’s over with.”

“I bet.” Beomgyu continued to eat his food, occasionally eyeing Soobin as he chewed slower as if debating to bring up a topic or not. Soobin could feel the eyes on him, wiping his mouth before speaking up.

“Beomgyu, is something wrong? You keep … looking at me.”

“I’m not supposed to look at you?” Beomgyu chuckled, quickly hiding the worry that was previously on his face.

“You know what I mean.” Soobin took another bite of food, focusing on Beomgyu to try and block out the noise of the cafeteria. Beomgyu nodded, putting his hands on his lap before looking at Soobin.

“Are you okay? I mean, I’ve seen you have an anxiety attack before, but I remember you telling me they don’t happen as often anymore. And I know you said you forgot your medication in your room, but something must have happened. And while I want to believe that you’re telling me the truth about being stressed about school …” Beomgyu looked to Soobin, seeing the man’s eyes not leaving his, “… you know I can’t believe that.”

Soobin looked down at his lap, thoughts of eating long gone as he tried to avoid Beomgyu’s gaze. He could feel the anxiety building once again, rubbing his hands together to try and move his focus to something else. Before he realized it, Beomgyu had reached over the table, gently holding one of Soobin’s hands in his own.

“So, can you tell me what actually happened?”

“Beomgyu, I know you’re a psychology major, but I don’t want to be your little project.”

It had come out more accusatory than he meant it to, the sharpness leaving his tongue before he could even think. By the time he realized what he said, Soobin looked up with wide eyes to see Beomgyu looking like a kicked puppy, his hands clasped together under the table.

When Beomgyu noticed Soobin’s eyes on him, he quickly placed a smile on his face, his bright white teeth quick to hide what he was feeling. Although, Soobin could see his eyes looked a little duller than usual.

“Beomgyu, I’m so sorry. You know I didn’t …”

“It’s fine, Soobin. I know.”

“Beomgyu …”

“I have to go. I have band practice. I’ll see you later.”

Beomgyu gave Soobin a wide smile, his eyes crescents, as he waved goodbye. Before Soobin could chase after him, the boy was gone. Soobin hadn’t noticed that he had gotten out of his chair, his mind yelling at him to chase after the boy. However, after seeing some people’s eyes on him, he slowly sat back in his chair, the dread slowly creeping up on him. He could feel the anxiety building once again, deciding that going to his dorm for his medication was the best option at this moment before it got any worse.

Soobin quickly grabbed his things, throwing away his trash as he tried to maneuver through the crowd of people. Just as he was passing the last couple tables, moving at a fast pace, someone had pushed back their chair to get up from their table. Soobin hit the chair, fumbling onto the floor. He squinted in pain, moving to sit as he held his wrist. When he opened his eyes, all he could see were many eyes on him. Before the anxiety had time to build even more, someone knelt down to him.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Here, let me help you up.”

Before Soobin could do anything, the person’s hands were supporting him as they helped him up. Soobin was still in a daze, eyes darting across the room as he continued to see people staring. Once he was standing again, he kept his eyes on the floor.

“Sorry. I’ll go.”

Soobin turned on his heels to leave before the person’s arms wrapped around his own arm, causing Soobin to be stuck in his spot. When he looked around the cafeteria, he was relieved to see that most people returned to their meals, eyes now off of him. He let out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding before looking at the person still attached to his arm.

“Kai, you can’t just hold onto people like that!” Soobin saw another man pull the boy away from him. “Sorry about that.”

Soobin was still a little shocked from everything that happened in the past couple minutes. He saw two men in front of him. The first he could see was about as tall as him, but he had the face of a puppy, his dark brown doe eyes wide as he placed his hand in his slightly curly brown hair.

When Soobin turned towards the other, the first striking feature he noticed was his blonde hair. He was shorter than the other boy, but somehow, he seemed to be the older of the two. After another look, he felt like he recognized them from somewhere. While he was sorting through his memories to place where he recognized the two of them, his eyes noticed someone else sitting at the table.

The man was looking at him, arms across his chest as he sat back in the chair. The pink hair still up in a ponytail as his bangs framed his face. The man’s sour expression was enough to make Soobin uncomfortable, his eyes refocusing on the two men in front of him. The man with the brown hair walked towards him, bowing before looking back at him.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t see you coming and was about to get more food. Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” Soobin continued to look at the floor, still nervous at the presence of someone new.

“I’m Kai, and this is Taehyun. We’re both freshmen.” Soobin looked at the two of them before looking back down at his hands. It was as if Kai sensed the other becoming tense, deciding to speak up. “What’s your name?”

“S-Soobin.”

“Are you a freshman, too? I haven’t seen you around campus at all.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

Soobin thought he said it under his breath, but by the look of Kai’s raised eyebrows, he must have said it just loud enough. He shook his head slightly before looking at the two boys, trying to quell the anxiety that only kept building.

“Sorry, just not feeling great today. I’m a junior.”

“Anyways, sorry that Kai is so clumsy. Is your wrist okay?”

Soobin didn’t realize he was still holding it slightly, the pain long forgotten over his anxiety. After looking at his wrist for a split second, he looked back at the two boys. He was about to speak when he noticed that Yeonjun had now moved to stand next to Taehyun, his hands still crossed over his chest. He didn’t realize he was staring at him until Taehyun looked to his right, looking back at Soobin when he didn’t see anything.

“Are you okay? Did you see something?” Taehyun looked back over to his right, still not seeing anything that would cause Soobin to stare like that. Soobin shook his head slightly, refocusing back on Taehyun.

“No, sorry. Just need to go back to my dorm now. But my wrist is fine, thanks for asking.”

Before Kai or Taehyun could continue the conversation, Soobin turned around and walked out of the cafeteria at a fast pace. The breeze felt nice on his warm skin, finally feeling like he could breathe again. He continued to walk at a quick pace, reaching his dorm building in record time. He was lucky to have a single dorm room after his previous roommate decided to drop out at the beginning of last semester. He didn’t remember climbing the stairs to his floor, his breathing getting faster and faster as he heard his room door close behind him.

He saw his anti-anxiety meds sitting on a counter by his door, exactly where he put them this morning in hopes that he wouldn’t forget to grab them. He grabbed the bottle, taking out the prescribed dose before popping it in his mouth. He quickly filled a cup with water, swallowing quickly in hope that it was cause the medication to take effect faster. He decided to lay in bed, hoping it would help to relax him.

After some time of him trying to get work done, he could feel the effects start to kick in, his muscle relaxing after being tense for so long. He continued to work but more efficiently, the calm aura of the room surrounding him. It wasn’t until his brain drifted to the events of the day that he opened a new search tab on his laptop. Without much thought, he entered his search.

_I need to look into this. Or do I? Soobin, you finally talked to a dead person after years … YEARS of refusing to do so. Why now? Why do you need to know how he died? Why him?_

Soobin didn’t understand what urged him to click on a news article about a man named Choi Yeonjun that had went to his university and died only about a month ago. Even though it was getting late, he continued to read article after article about the man he had met only hours earlier. The man no one else could see.

_I need to know. I need to know why he died._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it seems like Soobin is on a mission. But how far can he get without Yeonjun? Will the two of them start talking again? And what about Beomgyu? He seems pretty hurt ... the poor boy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! As always, here are some questions to answer if you like:
> 
> 1) Favorite season? Today had a high temperature of -3 where I'm at, and it reminded me how much I don't like winter haha
> 
> 2) Favorite character in the story so far?
> 
> Thanks again as always! Y'all are amazing and give me so much motivation to write. Love you all and hope you stay safe and warm! =^_^=


	4. Late Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. We're starting to get into the meat of the story, so I'm a bit excited. Hope you all enjoy! =^_^=

Yeonjun left the cafeteria with Taehyun and Kai, walking with them until they reached their dorm. Yeonjun always thought that the two of them made interesting roommates to say the least. Kai was a ball of energy, and Taehyun seemed to prefer a quiet space. They had always been perfect opposites but seemed to complement each other well. Yeonjun smiled as he watched the two boys enter the building, turning around while placing his hands in his pockets.

The campus became still, no one walking outside anymore as the moon continued to rise. Judging by the leaves rustling on the trees, Yeonjun could imagine a small breeze brushing onto his skin. He would do anything to feel something again, continuing to walk around campus like a lost puppy.

“I’ve been walking around campus for just over a month now. No one can see me or hear me … except _that_ guy.”

Yeonjun reminisced about that man that had introduced himself as Soobin. Even though he had left him after a fight, he couldn’t help but feel some sort of happiness after finally having someone able to see him and talk to him. Not being able to be seen, to be heard, was one of the most isolating things he had ever felt. And even though Soobin didn’t believe how he died, just having him there was nice.

Yeonjun hadn’t realized that he had walked off campus, standing a couple blocks away from where he died. His stomach sank, the memories of that night coming back to him. His eyes closed on their own, almost as if it helped him focus on his thoughts.

\----------------------------------------------------

_“Yeonjun, you should slow down.”_

_After a tough week of exams, Yeonjun decided that he needed to go out and have some fun. When Friday night came, he knew this was the time to go out and relax. His depression was coming after him with a vengeance, even with the help of his medication. After convincing Taehyun and Kai to join him, the three of them ended up at a bar close to campus. It was so close to campus that the place was packed. The fact that they could find a table was a victory in itself._

_He was glad that Kai was finally old enough to drink, not wanting the boy to miss out on any more hangouts. Yeonjun had ruffled his hair after they ordered drinks. Yeonjun had met Kai this past summer when the boy was doing a summer program before his freshman year. Apparently, Kai’s parents thought it would help Kai get adjusted to college better. Yeonjun had been on campus, since he was working. Needless to say, his first run-in with Kai was one he’d never forget._

_After ordering the fourth round of drinks, Yeonjun was already beginning to feel tipsy, his eyes blinking slightly more than usual as his speech began to slur. When he looked at Taehyun and Kai, they were laughing loudly, but their figures were slightly blurred. When he looked around, the packed bar began to blur into lights and figures he couldn’t differentiate._

_At this point, Yeonjun would usually know that he needed to stop drinking, especially since he had taken his anti-depressant medication earlier that day. He was warned time and time again that the mixture of alcohol and his medication could be lethal. But even so, the high he was feeling while getting drunk made him feel better than he had all week._

_Just as Yeonjun was about to speak up, their next round of drinks arrived at the table. After thanking the waiter, each boy grabbed their respective drink. Yeonjun’s head was still spinning, almost missing the glass before being sure his hand was wrapped around it. He felt their glasses meet in a cheers before he went to bring the glass to his lips._

_However, Yeonjun must have miscalculated how far away the glass was from his lips, spilling at least a quarter of it on the table before his grip went slack, dropping the glass on the floor. Even though the shatter was loud, it was almost as if no one in the bar heard it over the music and chatter._

_“Yeonjun, are you okay?” Taehyun looked at him, his teeth showing as he laughed. “You seem to be a little tipsy.”_

_“Yeah, maybe you need to slow down.” Kai said it sarcastically, almost as if taunting the man that he couldn’t hold his liquor._

_Yeonjun scoffed, moving out of his seat to approach the bar stand. His goal was to order another drink to replace the one that just crashed on the floor, but before he left the table, he looked at Taehyun and Kai with a smile on his face._

_“I’m fine. You know I’ve always been the best one of us when it comes to drinking.”_

_He left the table, wobbling slightly as the room continued to spin a bit. The bar counter seemed further away than he initially thought, but after a minute or two of trying to dodge other customers, he finally made it to the counter._

_“Hey! What can I get for you?”_

_“I’ll have another whiskey and coke, please. My other one found its home on the floor.”_

_The person behind the counter nodded as they started preparing the drink. Yeonjun could see other people approaching the counter, his eyes not able to focus on them too well. Yeonjun continued to wait for his drink, as he continued to be disoriented._

_All of a sudden, Yeonjun’s memory forwarded to when he was on the ground convulsing. He hated thinking about the moments just before he died, the pain and fear only coming back to the surface. He was just inside an alleyway only about a block from the bar he could barely remember leaving. His convulsions were getting worse, his heart feeling like it was beating out of his chest._

_All of his senses began to fail, his ears ringing and vision becoming blurrier and blurrier as the seconds passed. The worst part was that he could feel himself dying, the cold air seeping into his bones. His vision was going black, just like it did every time he had replayed his death in his head. He was glad it was almost over, not wanting to see this anymore._

_However, just before his eyes shut, just before he died, he saw a glimpse of something. Something he had never realized was part of his memories. He had replayed his death in his head at least four of five times now since he passed, so he wasn’t sure how he missed it._

\--------------------------------------------------

Yeonjun was shot back to reality, realizing that he was still standing in the same spot from when he started to see his memories again. His breathing was rapid, trying to calm himself down as he processed what he saw. He began quickly walking back towards campus, not sure where else to go.

“Feet. I saw feet. Someone was there. Someone saw me die.”

Yeonjun was thinking of many possibilities as to why someone would have been there during his last moments. His rational brain told him that someone must have been walking on the street and saw him convulsing, probably calling for help. The irrational part of his brain wasn’t so convinced.

Before he knew it, he had already reached campus. When he pulled himself out of his thoughts and looked around, he realized he was back in the courtyard, the fountain directly in front of him. Almost as if his legs were moving by themselves, he sat on the fountain at the exact same spot he had earlier in the day.

“Calm down, Yeonjun. Just breathe. Although, I guess it doesn’t really matter at this point.” Yeonjun snickered slightly before trying to focus. “What if Soobin was right? What if I don’t really know how I died? What if it wasn’t a reaction with my medication?”

Yeonjun shook his head slightly, his hands finding a place in his hair as he pulled on the strands lightly. His ponytail was coming undone, the stray strands becoming more and more disheveled as time passed.

“Okay, hold up. Why are we believing anything that guy says? The first time he meets you, he tells you you’re a liar. Straight to your face. But …” Yeonjun looked around at the dead campus, no one else in sight. “… if I did die from a reaction to my medication, why am I stuck here? Why didn’t I move on? Why me?” Yeonjun paused, placing his hands on the edge of the fountain. “How did I die?”

Yeonjun crossed his legs as he tapped one of his feet into the air. One of the nice things about being dead was that he didn’t need to sleep anymore. He could stay awake for as long as he wanted with no repercussions. However, that made days extremely long, especially when he was having what seemed to be an existential crisis.

“I guess I have no choice.” Yeonjun looked into the water, the flow of it giving him some peace. After a deep breath, he looked up at the stars. “I need to find Soobin.

\---------------------------------------

Soobin was jolted awake by the sound of his alarm clock, the loud song blaring throughout the room as Soobin slowly tapped the snooze button. He rubbed his eyes, groaning as he tried to get his eyes to adjust to the light. After a couple more grunts, Soobin finally sat up in his bed. He looked around his room, sighing before getting out of bed to get ready for the day.

After brushing his teeth and changing his clothes, he grabbed his bag before leaving his dorm. He made sure the door locked before walking out of the building, moving to his first class of the day. Soobin continued to rub his eyes, still not fully awake after staying up late last night.

No matter how long he searched, every website or news story said the same thing: Yeonjun died due to a reaction with his medication. He even found a post from Yeonjun’s parents, both of them obviously grieving over the loss of their son. They also seemed to believe the same thing, the medication reaction becoming the forefront of his death. Even though Soobin knew this wasn’t how Yeonjun died, he didn’t know how he could help, or if he should.

Soobin was about halfway to class when he saw a figure quickly approaching him out of the corner of his eye. He was startled to say the least, quickly trying to dodge the person coming at him but ended up tripping on his own feet. He clumsily fell to the ground, hands trying to catch his fall as his bag fell to the ground as well.

Soobin’s head was spinning slightly, slowly collecting his thoughts as he looked up to see who was running towards him so fast. He was met with the man squatting so he could be at eye level, his hand outreached to help him up.

“Yeonjun? You were the one running at me?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’ve been waiting all night to talk to you. It’s important.”

“So, you don’t want me to leave you alone anymore?” It came out slightly harsh, the lack of sleep still clouding Soobin’s judgement. After he realized how he said it, he wiped his eyes before standing up himself. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I’m just … tired.”

“It’s okay. I deserve it for how I acted.”

Yeonjun retracted his hand, standing up with Soobin. He put his hands back in his pockets, looking at the ground rather than the boy in front of him. Soobin sighed before being sure nothing was lost from his bag.

“You don’t _deserve_ anything. If anything, you deserve all the understanding in the world. Not some tired college student who’s taking out his stress on you.”

Yeonjun watched Soobin rub his eyes over and over. He could see Soobin’s posture slouched slightly, as if he didn’t have enough energy to stand properly. Yeonjun’s face became full of concern, taking a couple steps closer to Soobin.

“Soobin, are you okay? You keep rubbing your eyes and slouching. You said you were tired, but what were you doing last night?”

“I was …”

“Soobin? Are you okay? Who are you talking to?”

Soobin turned around to see Beomgyu, the shorter man looking slightly concerned as he looked past Soobin to see who he was speaking to moments earlier. Soobin could see Yeonjun and Beomgyu lock eyes, but it was obvious that Beomgyu couldn’t see Yeonjun at all. When Beomgyu didn’t see anyone, he looked to Soobin with even more concern. When he looked closer, he could see the dark circles under Soobin’s eyes.

“No one, Beomgyu. Sorry, I’m just …”

“Tired? Yeah, I can see that.”

Beomgyu looked Soobin up and down before moving closer and grabbing his bag from him. Soobin gave him a questioning look, but before he could speak up, Beomgyu was already walking towards the building where Soobin and him had their first class of the day.

“We have class right next to each other, remember? The least I can do is carry your bag while you try to wake up a bit more.”

Beomgyu was already a couple steps ahead of him. Soobin watched as Beomgyu walked right through Yeonjun, the dead man not having enough time to dodge the figure. Soobin’s eyes seemed to be apologizing for his friend’s behavior before moving to catch up with Beomgyu. Soobin was already yelling at himself internally for speaking to Yeonjun in public where anyone could see he was talking to “nothing.”

“Soobin, I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun before continuing to walk just behind Beomgyu. Soobin could hear the man in front of him talking about something funny that happened at band practice last night, but Soobin couldn’t focus with the pink-haired man continuing to follow them. Soobin waited until Beomgyu was in the middle of the story before leaning his head closer to Yeonjun.

“I can’t talk right now. I have class, and since no one else can see you, I don’t want to look like I’m losing my mind.”

Yeonjun could understand why Soobin was whispering, nodding his head as he saw the two boys stop in the hallway where their classes would be held. Beomgyu handed Soobin his bag before smiling, placing a hand on Soobin’s shoulder.

“Stay strong. I hope the class isn’t too long.” Beomgyu turned around before Soobin grabbed his arm causing him to turn around.

“About yesterday at dinner … I’m sorry. I was stressed, and you didn’t deserve to take the brunt of my outburst. I’m really sorry, but I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

“Soobin,” Beomgyu placed his hand on Soobin’s shoulder, “it’s okay, really. I’m not upset or mad at you. I’m just worried, that’s all.” Beomgyu smiled before looking at his phone. “Now, get to class.”

Beomgyu smiled before turning towards his own classroom. When Soobin looked at his phone, he saw that class was going to start in ten minutes. He looked to his right to see Yeonjun still standing next to him, the man’s eyes not leaving Beomgyu’s figure.

“He seems nice. I’m assuming he’s a friend of yours?” Yeonjun looked at Soobin, his eyes glistening as he waited for a response.

“Yeah, his name is …”

“Beomgyu. Yeah, I know, and not because I heard you say it earlier. We were friends, but I mean, he’s friends with almost everyone. I mean, how you could not be friends with that teddy bear?”

Yeonjun smiled, his bangs swaying side to side as Yeonjun took one last look at where Beomgyu entered his class before looking back at Soobin. He smiled, taking in the fact that Soobin was looking all around him as if he was trying to be sure no one saw him talking to someone that wasn’t there. Yeonjun couldn’t stop smiling, quickly shaking his head before nodding to get Soobin’s attention.

“You need to get to class, but we really need to talk later.”

“Why? Is everything okay?

“I saw feet.” Yeonjun’s expression became serious, but Soobin’s only began to fill with confusion.

“You saw … feet? And that means?” Soobin’s face formed a pout, not sure what Yeonjun was trying to say.

“Someone was there.”

“Was where? Yeonjun, what are you talking about?” It was as if Soobin didn’t care if somebody saw him talking to nothing, all of his attention on Yeonjun.

“The memory of my death replayed again last night. And I saw feet. Someone was there. Someone saw me die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens even further haha. This chapter bounced around a bit, so I'm sorry about that. But I was oping to make it one long chapter rather than two shorter chapters, so I hope that was okay. But there are so many things still unanswered. Here are some questions to answer if you like:
> 
> 1) Any theories (new or old)?
> 
> 2) Do you dig the pink-haired Yeonjun with a ponytail as much as do? Honestly, it's such an iconic look.
> 
> 3) Star sign? (This is totally irrelevant haha)
> 
> As always, thank you all for taking the time to read this story! It really does mean a lot, and all of your comments always brighten up my day. I hope this chapter met your expectations, and I hope to see you at the next chapter. Thanks again! =^_^=


	5. Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with another update. The story may seem slow from this point on, but it'll all have a purpose at some point. Hope you enjoy! =^_^=

“Someone saw me die.”

Soobin stood in the hallway, his mouth slightly ajar. He was stunned at Yeonjun’s revelation. However, he slowly looked down at his bag, pretending to sort through it as he spoke to Yeonjun.

“Okay, so?”

“So?! What do you mean? This is huge! Maybe you were right. Maybe I didn’t die the way I thought.”

“Or maybe, I was wrong. Maybe I’m just some guy trying to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong.” Soobin locked eyes with Yeonjun before looking at his phone, seeing he only had five minutes until class.

“Soobin …”

“And it was probably just someone who was passing by. They saw you and probably called an ambulance or something. You’re overthinking it.”

“But …” Yeonjun looked at the floor, taking a deep breath to speak again before being interrupted.

“I need to get to class.” Soobin placed his bag over his shoulder. “Don’t dwell on it, okay? I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.”

Before Yeonjun could say anything else, he looked up to find Soobin already gone. He hadn’t even seen where Soobin went. Before he knew it, the entire hallway was empty, classes already having begun. Yeonjun sighed, placing his hands in his pockets as he moved out of the building. He found himself back in the courtyard, a place he found himself a lot lately.

“Soobin’s probably right. That person probably saw me and freaked out. I just got my hopes up for nothing.”

Yeonjun found his usual spot at the fountain, laying down on his back as he placed a hand under his head. A nearby tree created enough shade to keep the sun out of his eyes. He decided that resting would be better than dwelling on his thoughts for too long. Even though he didn’t need sleep anymore, there was some comfort in keeping some sort of a routine from when he was alive. Before he knew it, he had dozed off, the sound of the water from the fountain lulling him to sleep.

\-------------------------------------------

Soobin had finished his last class of the day, making a mental list in his head of what he wanted to get done that night. The list of assignments was beginning to pile up as finals week continued to approach. He also knew that he needed to start studying, not wanting to fall behind like he did around finals last semester.

He walked out of the building, the warm air hitting his skin. There was something about being outside that gave him energy, even if he hated being around other people on campus. He’d rather be by himself, wishing there was a place on campus that was both solitary but outside. However, most outdoor seating was constantly taken up by other groups of students, always making Soobin feel too anxious to stay outside for too long.

“I guess I’ll go study in my room tonight. I’ll grab something for dinner later.”

As Soobin was walking to his dorm, he noticed the head of pink hair at the fountain, the figure seeming to be sleeping. Soobin smiled, happy to see the man looking so peaceful. He took a deep breath before he continued walking to his dorm. The walk was calm, a small breeze making the warm weather more manageable.

After entering his dorm building, he was met with the harsh cold of the AC unit, moving slightly faster towards his room. He used his key to get in, dropping his bag off by his small couch as he moved to his cupboards to grab a snack. After grabbing a granola bar, he sat back down on the couch, turning on a television show he knew he wasn’t going to pay attention to as he got back to work.

Soobin was about thirty minutes into studying when his phone buzzed. When he glanced at the home screen, he had received a text. He placed his study materials to the side as he opened the text, seeing it was from Beomgyu.

**_From Beomgyu:_ **

_Hey! Sorry for leaving so soon this morning. Hope you’re feeling better._

**_Soobin:_ **

_I’m feeling better, thanks._

**_From Beomgyu:_ **

_Want to come to band practice tonight?_

**_Soobin:_ **

_I would, but I really need to study and finish some assignments._

**_From Beomgyu:_ **

_You can bring your stuff to work on. Just thought the background noise would help. You’ve seemed stressed out lately._

It was moments like this where he was glad to have a friend like Beomgyu. Even though they were opposites in the sense that Soobin was shy and anxious while Beomgyu seemed outspoken and confident, Beomgyu seemed to understand what Soobin needed more than he did himself. Soobin smiled at the message, replying quickly.

**_Soobin:_ **

_That would be great actually. Where and when?_

**_From Beomgyu:_ **

_The usual spot. We’re starting in 30._

**_Soobin:_ **

_Ok. See you then._

Soobin started packing up his study materials. The place he had to get to was about a fifteen-minute walk across campus, and he still needed to pack his things. He made sure to grab any books he would need, his notebook, extra pencils and pens, and some snacks in case the practice went longer than expected, which usually happened due to Beomgyu’s perfectionism.

After being sure he had everything, he left his dorm again, the sun finally beginning to set. The bright orange horizon giving him some peace of mind. He chose his route in hope to avoid as many people as possible. He never liked crowds, preferring to take the less travelled paths on campus if it meant avoiding large groups of students.

When he was about a minute from the building, he glanced at his phone. The band had been using a spare lounge room in the basement of the music & arts building to practice. The room had been abandoned before the band had begun to occupy the space, the couches in the room making for a comfortable atmosphere. He quickly moved down the stairs, not wanting to interrupt the band once they already started.

Luckily, Soobin opened the door just as Beomgyu was plugging in his bass to the amp. Soobin glanced at Beomgyu, smiling before slowly closing the door. The other band members looked at Soobin before moving again to finish the last of their setup, Soobin’s presence now commonplace at their rehearsals.

“Hey! You made it.” Beomgyu smiled, waving Soobin over. Soobin walked over nervously, his hands clasped onto his bag.

“Yeah. Sorry I was almost late.” Soobin looked at Beomgyu’s bandmates before quickly diverting his gaze back to Beomgyu. Beomgyu followed Soobin’s glance before turning back to him.

“Don’t worry, Soobin. They’re used to you being here by now. No reason to panic.”

“I know. I’m just … I don’t want to be a burden.”

“I’m gonna stop you right there. You could never be a burden, trust me. I love having you here. Gives us another pair of ears, and you always give great advice.”

“T-Thanks. I’ll go sit down.”

Beomgyu nodded as Soobin smiled, moving towards the couches. He sat down, getting comfortable as warm up cords began to fill the space. Soobin began to focus on his work, no longer focusing on the band. However, just as they seemed ready to start, the door to the lounge opened again, everyone’s heads turning towards the door.

“Sorry we’re late!”

Soobin recognized the two figures that jogged into the room, his memory trying to fill in the gaps of where he saw them. One of them had curly brown hair while the other was blonde, a hairstyle he wouldn’t forget easily.

_The cafeteria. Those were the two guys I bumped into when I was trying to leave. What are they doing here?_

“You’re just in time actually. Always cutting it close, aren’t you, Kai? And you brought a friend?”

Soobin could tell that the lead singer, Jeongin, was used to Kai cutting it close. Kai laughed as he approached where Jeongin was standing. Soobin couldn’t hear what they were talking about, the blonde man turning to notice Soobin. When their eyes locked, Soobin quickly looked back down to his notebook, trying to avoid any conversation if he could help it. Too bad luck wasn’t on his side today.

“Hey! You’re the guy from the cafeteria the other day. Soobin, right?”

“Y-yeah. That’s me. And it was … Taehyun, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

A silence fell between the two of them, neither one of them trying to continue the conversation. Just as the awkwardness of the situation was growing, Kai walked up behind Taehyun, wrapping his arm around the shorter’s shoulder.

“Hey! Soobin, right? Didn’t know we’d see you here.”

It was obvious to Soobin that Kai was an extrovert, the man effortlessly talking to him as if they had known each other for years. When he glanced back to Taehyun, he could see how the man was the opposite, more introverted and less enthusiastic. Soobin realized he hadn’t answered yet, quickly trying to get himself together.

“Yeah. Beomgyu invited me here. I haven’t seen you guys at their rehearsals before.”

“Jeongin always invites me, but I’m usually busy with piano and music rehearsals. But I had a free night, so I dragged Taehyun out with me too.”

Kai smiled towards Taehyun, the blonde man smiling back as he moved to take a seat on another couch. Soobin followed Taehyun’s steps, somewhat happy that he decided to sit on another couch and give Soobin his personal space. Kai sighed slightly, but his smile never left his face.

“I swear he needs to get out more. But something tells me he’ll enjoy the band.” Kai smirked before refocusing on Soobin. “But it was nice meeting you again, Soobin.”

“Yeah.”

Kai smiled, his eyes crescents before moving to sit next to Taehyun who had already gotten out some study materials. However, Soobin could see the blond man stealing glances at the band, but he couldn’t tell exactly what or who the man was looking at. He assumed it was Jeongin, the man being their friend after all.

Soon, the band was playing and drowning out any extraneous noise. The music also helped him keep calm, his foot tapping to the beat as he began studying. He would occasionally steal glances at the band, smiling as the drummer did a fun trick with his drumsticks or Beomgyu got too ahead of himself and almost broke his bass or the equipment in the process.

Soobin hadn’t realized how fast time was flying, two hours flying by so quickly as he heard the band calling it a wrap for the night. He looked a little shocked as he moved quickly to gather the rest of his things. After checking and double checking that he wasn’t leaving anything behind, someone had tapped Soobin on the shoulder, the man turning around to see who it was.

“So, how did we do?”

Soobin recognized the man to be the drummer, an international student named Felix. The man’s silver hair was always his staple, but his Australian accent made him unforgettable to anyone he talked to. Needless to say, Soobin was still always nervous when talking to any of the band members that weren’t Beomgyu.

“Ugh … great as always.”

Soobin smiled shyly, moving his gaze back to his things as if pretending to recount his belongings. He always did this when he was nervous or anxious, avoiding eye contact at all costs. However, he heard Felix giggle a bit before speaking up.

“Well, thanks for always listening to us. It’s great to have an audience.”

“But it’s just me. I’m not much of an audience.”

“Better to have one amazing fan than a couple mediocre ones.”

Soobin’s eyes went a bit wide at that, Felix continuing to smile before Soobin noticed Beomgyu approaching them. He felt a little relief, the familiar figure helping to release some of the tension. When Beomgyu reached him, he slung an arm over Soobin’s shoulder.

“Felix, what are you saying to Soobin? He’s all tense.” Beomgyu said it jokingly, poking Soobin as if to try and release the tension.

“Just telling him how amazing he is. You know, the usual.” Before Felix could continue, Jeongin had called him over to help pack up for the night. Felix gave a thumbs up before turning to Soobin again. “I gotta go, but it was nice talking to you again. Hope to see you at the next rehearsal.”

Before Soobin could reply, Felix was running towards his drum set and equipment, beginning to tear it down. Soobin was still a little shocked, although it wasn’t out of the ordinary. Out of all the band members, Felix talked to him the most other than Beomgyu. Soobin had almost forgot the man was still slung onto his shoulder, looking at him.

“He’s not wrong though. You are _amazing_.”

The last word was said almost too enthusiastically and sarcastically for Soobin to take it seriously. Soobin punched Beomgyu’s arm lightly, the younger rubbing his arm slightly after the impact. Before Beomgyu could come up with a comeback, Kai had grabbed Beomgyu’s attention.

Soobin had started to drown out the noise around him, something that happened when a space became too loud. Some people thought it was just him dissociating, but according to his doctors, it was almost a type of defense mechanism to lessen his anxiety. Even though he couldn’t hear anything well, he could see Kai and Beomgyu talking enthusiastically about something. When he saw Taehyun, he was almost standing behind Kai with a stoic face. Soobin thought he was imagining the quick glances that the blonde made towards Beomgyu, but if Taehyun was as anxious as Soobin was around new people, he couldn’t blame him.

He hadn’t realized that he actually spaced out, coming back to reality with Beomgyu waving a hand in front of his face. Soobin shook his head slightly, trying not to look too shocked as he glanced around the room. He could see quite a few eyes on him, quickly trying to drown out the anxious feeling as he looked back to Beomgyu.

“S-sorry. What?”

“Are you ready to go back to your dorm?” Soobin could see the worry laced on Beomgyu’s features, his eyebrows raised as he waited for an answer. “I can walk you there if you want.”

Soobin knew that was usually Beomgyu’s way of saying that they could talk about what was on Soobin’s mind during the walk, but Soobin didn’t want to feel like a burden, quickly pulling himself together as he made sure he had all his belongings one last time.

“Sorry, I spaced out. No, it’s okay, really. I can walk there by myself.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah! Definitely.”

Before Beomgyu could say anything more, Soobin had already left the practice room, walking at a slightly faster pace in hopes that the younger man wouldn’t follow him. When he exited the building with no problems, he took a deep breath he didn’t know he needed. He hadn’t realized how suffocated he felt down there. He began walking slowly back to his dorm.

_You just need some rest. It’s been a long day … or couple days. I … I wonder how Yeonjun’s doing?_

Soobin suddenly stopped in his tracks, not sure why that last thought had run through his mind. He had only met the dead boy yesterday, so why was he already thinking about him, yet alone worrying about him.

Soobin shook his head slightly before walking back to his dorm, avoiding the courtyard in hopes that he wouldn’t see the pink hair he had seen earlier. After reaching his dorm, he decided to crash into his bed, not wanting to do any more work tonight. Usually, it would take him some time to fall asleep, but the second his head hit the pillow, he was out, his mind now entering dreamland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's that. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter even if it came off a bit slower than usual. Everything (well almost everything) will have a purpose, so I hope you can bear with me. As always, there's questions to answer if you like.
> 
> 1) Do you play Rhythm Hive?
> 
> 2) Thoughts on Yeonjun's modeling for NYFS? He looked fantastic as always, and the outfits were outstanding!
> 
> Thanks again everyone for all your support! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope to be back soon. Love you all! =^_^=


	6. Collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back. It's been a little bit of a crazy week with 4 exams and a couple quizzes and assignments, so I wrote this chapter in like 2-3 days. And it's a bit longer than usual, so I hope that's okay! Hope y'all enjoy it! =^_^=

It’s been a couple days since Soobin’s seen Yeonjun, the man slowly becoming a faint memory. He didn’t actively look for the pink hair anymore, thinking that the man was avoiding him or had maybe passed on already. Although, Soobin wasn’t sure how Yeonjun would have figured out how he died in such a short amount of time.

Soobin was walking out of his last class of the day, slowly walking towards the fountain in the courtyard. In the back of his mind, he was hoping to see the man with pink hair, but when he saw the courtyard to be empty, he sighed before sitting on the edge of the fountain as usual. He pulled his bag onto his lap, getting out his laptop and books before beginning to work on some assignments.

The weather was still nice, the sun keeping Soobin warm from the slow breeze. He put on a beanie this morning due to waking up late and almost getting to his first class late. It was the only way to hide his bedhead on such short notice. He brushed his bangs out of his vision as he continued to delve into his work.

About an hour or so later, he could tell that another set of classes was being let out for the day, the courtyard suddenly becoming busier. Soobin pulled his bag back up to look for his headphones in hopes to drown out the increasing chatter around him. He quickly found them, plugging them in to his laptop to start decreasing the excess noise. After a couple seconds of choosing a song, he was back to work once again.

The bodies walking around the courtyard quickly became distracting, Soobin trying his best to focus to no avail. When he looked up for the third time, he saw it. The man with pink hair was walking through the courtyard next to his two friends, but it was obvious that the two friends had no idea the man was there. If Soobin looked close enough, he could see the solemn look on Yeonjun’s face.

It only took a split second for Yeonjun to catch Soobin’s glance, their eyes locking for a moment before Soobin quickly looked back down at his laptop and notes. His eyes were wide, trying to push down the anxious feeling that began building up. However, when Soobin looked up again, Yeonjun was nowhere to be found. If someone told Soobin he was pouting, he’d deny it.

_He must be ignoring me. Was I too insensitive the other day? I must have been too harsh. But … where has he been? It can’t be comfortable hanging around friends that have no idea you exist. Although, I guess he doesn’t technically exist. But even so, that must … hurt._

Soobin’s expression slowly turned from a pout to one of worry and compassion. He couldn’t imagine what Yeonjun was feeling or going through, and since it was clear the other man was avoiding him, he didn’t think he’d find out any time soon. Soobin turned his music up a couple more notches before returning to his work.

When Soobin really focused on his assignments, he lost track of time. All his brain could think about was completing the task at hand, and he didn’t really pay attention to the rest of the world until it was done. By the time he finished the assignments he had planned to work on, he looked up to see that the sun was already setting, three hours passing as if it was only twenty minutes.

“It’s been that long? Well, I should probably grab something to eat.”

Soobin packed up his things, double checking he had everything as he always did. He took a couple steps from the fountain before looking back. The fountain always looked peaceful, especially during the sunset when the orange light hit the water just right. Soobin smiled, looking around one more time before turning towards the cafeteria.

Once at the cafeteria, he realized that it was rush hour, many of the students filling the room to maximum capacity. With Soobin’s anti-anxiety medication fading from earlier, he couldn’t help but feel as if his anxiety was just waiting for the right moment to pounce. He quickly shook his head as he got the line for takeout. With this many people, he wasn’t willing to risk eating inside today.

Just as he got into the line, he saw Beomgyu and the other band members enter the cafeteria. Soobin was going to wave in Beomgyu’s direction when he noticed Kai and Taehyun walking towards the band members. However, it was obvious that both groups were so engrossed in their conversations that they didn’t see each other coming. Before Soobin could shout at them, Beomgyu and Taehyun had collided, both of them falling to the floor in a mess of tangled limbs.

Soobin quickly got out of his place in line, jogging over to them to see if he could help either party. Kai had run into Jeongin, but they were currently laughing it off as if nothing had happened. When he looked down to the other two, Beomgyu had his eyes closed with his hand holding onto his head lightly. Taehyun was holding onto his wrist, Soobin rationalizing that he may have injured it from the collision or the fall.

“Are you two okay? That looked like a hard hit.” Soobin knelt down, looking back and forth between them.

“I’m fine. My head aches, but that’ll subside later.”

Beomgyu’s eyes were still closed as if he was trying to manage the minor headache. When he opened his eyes, he saw Soobin’s worried look first. However, he noticed another figure on the ground, turning his head slowly as he blinked a couple times as if trying to refocus his vision.

“Hey, haven’t I seen you around somewhere before? The blonde hair rings a bell.”

The blonde boy was still holding onto his wrist, looking at Beomgyu as if he was a deer in the headlights. Soobin knew that look all too well: fear. Soobin couldn’t think why Taehyun would be scared of Beomgyu, the man having no bad bone in his body. When Beomgyu’s vision focused once more, he looked directly at Taehyun holding his wrist, quickly reaching out to delicately hold it.

“Are you injured? I’m sorry! I should have been paying more attention.”

Before Beomgyu could get a better look at the man’s wrist, Taehyun quickly stood up, never letting go of his wrist. Beomgyu looked up at him, not sure why the other was acting so jittery. Taehyun had looked at Kai who was still laughing with Jeongin, neither of them seeing the scene unfold. Taehyun caught Soobin’s eyes before looking at the floor by Beomgyu’s feet.

“I’m fine.”

It came out as a whisper, Soobin barely hearing it even though he was close to him. Beomgyu slowly stood up as well, fixing his hair before taking a step towards Taehyun. However, when Beomgyu took a step forward, Taehyun took a step back. Soobin seemed confused at the behavior, wondering what was going on in Taehyun’s head. Beomgyu seemed to get the hint, no longer trying to approach the boy.

“Are you sure? I can … I can walk you to the medical center if you want.”

Beomgyu’s gaze never left Taehyun, his look becoming increasingly worried as Taehyun continued to grip his wrist. Taehyun’s gaze was still focused on the floor in front of him. Just as Taehyun was about to say something, Kai had finally noticed Taehyun, his brows furrowing into a look of concern as well as he was assessing the situation.

“Hey, everything okay?”

Taehyun quickly pushed past Kai and Beomgyu, jogging out of the cafeteria as if in a state of panic. Soobin was confused to say the least, not sure what just happened in the last couple minutes. When he looked at Beomgyu, the man’s gaze was still focused on the door Taehyun had run out of.

“I’ll go after him.” Kai looked towards Soobin, Beomgyu, and the other bandmates. “Sorry about that.”

Before any of them could respond, Kai was jogging out of the cafeteria in hopes of catching up to Taehyun. They all looked confused, none of them having a grasp on the situation. After a couple seconds, Beomgyu looked back towards Soobin, moving one of his hands to his head as he stretched out his neck.

“Soobin, do you know who that was? He looks familiar.” Beomgyu glanced back at the door before looking back at Soobin.

“Taehyun. He was at your band practice the other day.” Soobin could see the look of realization hit Beomgyu.

“The quiet one. Right.” Soobin could see Beomgyu’s eyes glance back at the door before he winced again, his hand still rubbing his head.

“Do you want to go to the medical center? I can take you.”

Beomgyu waved his hand, his head shaking lightly as his eyes blinked a couple times. After a couple deep breaths, it looked as if Beomgyu was settling back into himself. Soobin was still a bit worried, staying with Beomgyu as his bandmates went to grab some food.

“No, I’m okay. Just a little rattled from the fall is all.”

“Okay, but don’t hesitate to call me later if you still feel a bit off.”

Beomgyu smiled, quickly giving Soobin a side hug before walking towards the line for food. After Soobin explained he was getting takeout, Beomgyu waved goodbye before catching up with his other friends. Soobin sighed before getting back in line, his stomach grumbling slightly from not having eaten in a while.

After grabbing his food, he began walking back to his dorm. The warmth from the sun was now seeping away as the moon began to rise. He took a deep breath, smiling slightly as he took in the calm and serene environment around him. When he reached the door to his dorm building, he was just about to open it when he thought he heard his name being called. He turned around, seeing Yeonjun running towards him.

“Soobin! Wait up!”

Soobin could tell by the way he was running that the man was somewhat panicked, Yeonjun’s right arm waving as if he wanted to be sure Soobin would stop. Once Yeonjun reached him, he had his hands on his knees while he tried to regulate his breathing.

“You know, being dead and all, I never understood how I could still get out of breath.”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun with wide eyes, still not understanding what was so urgent. The bag with his takeout was held at his side, almost as if it was forgotten. Yeonjun took another big breath before trying to place both of his hands on Soobin’s shoulders. Soobin shuddered as the hands went right through him, Yeonjun whispering under his breath in frustration.

“Sorry. Sorry. I really need to get better at remembering that. But I need your help.” Yeonjun was staring into Soobin’s eyes. Soobin felt uncomfortable by the long stare, moving his gaze to the ground.

“M-Me? What’s going on?” Soobin peaked glances at Yeonjun, trying to overcome his anxiety in the moment.

“Have you seen Taehyun at all? I was walking around when I saw Kai running. When I caught up with Kai, he was saying something about not being able to find Taehyun. Have you seen him?”

“Y-yeah, he ran out of the cafeteria. That was the last time I saw him.” Soobin was playing with the plastic bag and his fingers, trying to concentrate on anything but the building anxiety.

“Wait, wait, wait. He _ran_?”

“Yeah. Kai ran after him pretty quickly, but I don’t know why he left? Although …”

Yeonjun quickly looked at Soobin, his full attention on him now. “What?”

“Well … Taehyun and Beomgyu collided in the cafeteria. By accident, of course! But when I looked at Taehyun, he looked … scared.”

“Scared? Taehyun? Like … blonde Taehyun?”

When Soobin looked at Yeonjun, he could see how puzzled the other looked, as if what Soobin was saying was so outlandish that he couldn’t even fathom it being true. Soobin took another breath, running through his memory one last time before responding.

“Yeah, that’s him. I don’t know what he was afraid of. But he was holding onto his wrist after the collision. Maybe he went to the medical center.”

“No, we checked there already.”

“We?”

“Well, I ran around with Kai for a little while looking for him. Although, even if I saw him, I don’t know how I would’ve told Kai. You’re the only one I can talk to that’s not already dead.”

Yeonjun snickered slightly, but all Soobin could do was give him a look of sympathy. He looked down to his almost forgotten food, quickly trying to think of a game plan. When he looked back up, he could see Yeonjun looking at him once more.

“Let me put my food in my room, and I’ll help you look.”

Yeonjun smiled widely, nodding his head in agreement. Soobin opened the door to the building, holding it open for the man behind him. When he looked back, he saw that Yeonjun was looking the other way, as if he was still trying to find any source of Taehyun. Soobin pushed down the anxious feeling as he took a deep breath.

“Yeonjun, do you want to come in? I mean, it shouldn’t take me long, so only if you want to.”

Yeonjun looked back at Soobin, smiling slightly as he nodded his head. He walked into the building with Soobin, both of them moving in silence as if neither of them could come up with anything to say. When Soobin reached his dorm room, he took out his keys, fumbling slightly as he tried to place it in the lock. However, Soobin’s shaking hand was making it difficult.

“Breathe.”

Soobin look towards Yeonjun before closing his eyes, taking a deep breath to try and re-center himself. After a couple seconds, he placed the key in the lock, opening the door. Yeonjun tried to put on a small smile, but even Soobin could tell he was worried. Yeonjun stayed by the front door, not walking in fully due to not being invited to do so.

“Soobin, are you okay?” Yeonjun looked towards what he assumed to be the kitchen, following Soobin’s figure.

“Yeah, I just … I need something.”

Yeonjun watched as Soobin opened his bag next to the couch in what he assumed to be the living room. Soobin was throwing everything out of it, grunting in frustration as he moved back to the kitchen, opening up cabinets. When another sigh of frustration left Soobin’s lips, he walked past Yeonjun into the small hallway that looked like it led to a bathroom and bedroom. Yeonjun looked around the corner to see Soobin enter the bathroom, the sound of another cabinet being opened.

“Can I help?”

“No! Just …” Soobin took another loud, shaky breath. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice.”

Soobin walked out of the bathroom, hands running through his blue hair. It didn’t take a genius to see that Soobin was beginning to stress out, Yeonjun’s thoughts of finding Taehyun taking a backseat. Yeonjun took a couple timid steps towards Soobin, not wanting to get too close too fast.

“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I can try looking for it. You can take a rest for a minute or two.”

Yeonjun played with his fingers, never having felt this vulnerable and out of place when he was alive. He had always put up a front around people, always being confident and usually loud. So, seeing Soobin acting almost broken in front of him only reminded him of how he actually felt for most of his life. But unlike Soobin, he wasn’t strong enough to show it when he was alive. He had decided that playing a confident character was easier. Yeonjun moved to stand in front of him, causing Soobin to look him in the eyes once more.

“I’m not going to judge you. I only want to help.”

When Yeonjun look at Soobin, he could see the man’s eyes wet with tears that were going to fall any second. Soobin’s mouth was open as if he was trying to say something but couldn’t form the words. He looked back at the floor, the back of his hand wiping away the wetness at his eyes.

“My meds. I … I can’t find them, and I …” Soobin took another deep, shaky breath. “I really need them, Yeonjun. I need them.”

Yeonjun could see Soobin’s eyes pleading for help. It was the first time Yeonjun had seen anyone be so vulnerable. He had many friends on campus, Taehyun and Kai being the closest to him, and even they had rarely cried in front of him. Yeonjun’s brain told him to ask what container the medication is in or what its name was, but he knew that asking Soobin any questions would only stress him out more. Yeonjun went to place a hand on Soobin’s shoulder before he stopped halfway, bringing it back to his side before speaking up.

“I’ll find them. Don’t worry. Just go sit down in the living room or something. Do you have any ice cream?”

Soobin laughed, wiping the remaining wetness from his eyes before looking at Yeonjun. “Yeah.”

Yeonjun smiled, glad to see Soobin brighten up slightly. “Have some while I look around.”

Soobin nodded, walking back down the hallway. When he was halfway to the kitchen, Soobin stopped and slowly looked back towards Yeonjun. He smiled slightly, causing Yeonjun to stop in his tracks as well.

“Thanks.”

Soobin started moving back towards the kitchen. Yeonjun watched him open what he assumed to be the freezer. Yeonjun smiled again before his expression became more serious. Yeonjun had only been dead for a little over a month, still somewhat uncomfortable about what came with it. Yeonjun took a deep breath.

“Okay, Yeonjun. Just another day being dead, I guess. So, meds. I didn’t even ask him what kind, what container they’re in, or what they’re even for. Maybe … an orange pill container? Man, Yeonjun that’s really stereotypical.”

Yeonjun looked at the bathroom door that was partially ajar. He thought the bathroom would be a good place to start even though Soobin just looked there. In his slightly hysterical state, Yeonjun thought it would have been easy for Soobin to miss them. Yeonjun looked at the door handle.

“I doubt this will work, but it’s worth a try.”

Yeonjun reached for the door handle, trying to grasp it when his hand went straight through the handle. Yeonjun sighed, looking back in the direction of the kitchen. When he saw Soobin slightly hunched over a carton of ice cream as he dipped his spoon into it, he couldn’t help but smile at the view. Yeonjun took another breath and closed his eyes before walking into the door. Even though he didn’t need to close his eyes, he still felt weird when his body went through objects.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a typical bathroom with a small shower, toilet, sink, and a cabinet above and below the sink. To Yeonjun’s dismay, both of the cabinets were closed. He knew he wouldn’t be able to open up the cabinets using his hands, knowing there was only one way he was going to see what’s inside.

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

Yeonjun took a deep breath before looking at the cabinet above the sink. He slowly approached it before his nose would have been touching the mirror on the cabinet. He took a deep breath before placing his face further forward. When he opened his eyes, he could see all the contents of the cabinet. After looking around for a couple seconds, he didn’t see anything that looked like medication.

Yeonjun moved to lower cabinet, doing the same thing as before. If Soobin had come in at that moment, he would have seen Yeonjun’s face disappeared into the lower cabinet. After a couple more seconds, he didn’t see anything, sighing as he pulled his head away from the cabinet. He stood up, tapping his foot as he thought of where to look next. When he left the bathroom, he saw Soobin’s bedroom door in front of him.

_No, you are not entering Soobin’s bedroom. You didn’t ask, and that’s a … private place. But it would make sense that the medication would be there. So … we’re really doing this._

Yeonjun looked back towards the kitchen to see Soobin in the same position, still eating the ice cream. He couldn’t bring himself to disrupt the man, especially if it was going to upset him. Yeonjun took a deep breath, taking a few steps until he was directly in front of the bedroom door.

“Now or never.”

Yeonjun closed his eyes as he walked forward, but when he knew he was in the room, he squinted his eyes open, not wanting to breach Soobin’s privacy. When he fully opened his eyes, he was slightly shocked at what he saw.

The room was spotless. And when Yeonjun said “spotless,” he meant it. The room was extremely organized, the bed covers made with no evidence of dirt anywhere in sight. If Yeonjun had to describe it, it was almost as if it was too clean, especially for a college student approaching finals week.

Yeonjun shook his head slightly, trying to focus on the task at hand. He looked around the room, nothing resembling a medication bottle coming into view. He stepped into the room further, taking another look around before he sighed.

“It’s not in here either? Maybe he put it in the living room? Maybe it rolled under the couch?”

Yeonjun turned around, ready to leave the room when he noticed something at the top of Soobin’s dresser. It looked like it was the typical orange medication bottle, giving Yeonjun hope that this is what Soobin was looking for. Yeonjun knew he could reach the bottle if he went onto his toes a little. Just as Yeonjun was about to touch the bottle, he heard a voice outside the bedroom door.

“Yeonjun? You there?”

Yeonjun was startled slightly, hitting the bottle and causing it to fall on the floor. The noise alerted Soobin, the man opening up the bedroom door to find Yeonjun by his dresser looking frozen. Yeonjun was still raised slightly on his toes, his arm still in the air as he remained frozen. All Yeonjun could see on Soobin’s face was shock. When Soobin looked towards the floor, he found the bottle.

“That’s it! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Soobin ran towards the bottle, quickly opening it and taking a pill out. Soobin had brought a bottle of water with him from the kitchen, quickly swallowing the pill as he brought his attention to Yeonjun who still looked a little shocked.

“So … you’re not mad that I came into your room?”

“No. You did it, because you were helping me out. I’m not mad.” Soobin smiled, allowing Yeonjun to relax. He breathed a sigh of relief before his brain was rerunning the events that just occurred.

“Wait a minute.” Yeonjun looked back at the top of the dresser before looking at the bottle that was still in Soobin’s hand.

“What’s wrong?” Soobin’s expression began to show worry again while Yeonjun kept looking between the top of the dresser and the medication bottle.

“The bottle.”

“What about the bottle? Are you asking about my meds?”

“No, no. The bottle. When I heard your voice in the hallway, I got startled and …”

“And?”

“I knocked it off the top of the dresser.” Yeonjun’s gaze look back at the dresser again, Soobin following his gaze but still confused at what Yeonjun was trying to get at.

“So?”

“Soobin.” Yeonjun looked directly at him, both of them looking straight into each other’s eyes. “I _knocked_ it off the dresser. I … I touched the bottle.”

Yeonjun looked at his hands, still trying to process the new change of events. When Soobin finally realized what was going on, he also looked shocked. Soobin had seen the dead since he could remember, but he’d never seen the dead able to touch objects. He looked at the bottle before looking back at Yeonjun. He shook his head, placing the bottle on his bed before turning back towards Yeonjun.

“We should go look for Taehyun. Maybe we can find Kai and see if he found him already.”

Yeonjun nodded, smiling at Soobin as he followed the taller man out of his room. They were silent until they left the building, the moon now higher in the sky than before. There was a slight breeze, Soobin shivering slightly since he was only in a t-shirt. Yeonjun noticed but didn’t have anything to help.

“Let’s head that way first.”

Yeonjun pointed in a random direction, hoping that the movement would keep Soobin slightly warmer and distract him from the breeze. Even though he wanted to ask about the medication, he decided that they could talk about it another time. They were walking slowly, both men having their hands in their pockets as the silence overtook them. It wasn’t long before one of them broke it, not breaking their slow walking pace.

“Thanks, by the way.”

“Of course. Anything to help.”

“But really, thanks. I don’t know what I would’ve done without it.”

The silence overtook them once more. Yeonjun had a question on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t sure if now was the right time to ask. Yeonjun was trying to build up the guts to ask, but before he could, Soobin stopped in his tracks. Yeonjun looked back towards Soobin, his expression filled with worry.

“Soobin?”

“Is that Taehyun?”

Yeonjun followed Soobin’s finger. It was pointed to a figure that was currently on the ground, as if the body had fallen suddenly from exhaustion. It was obvious that the body was limp, but the one thing that Yeonjun couldn’t stop looking at was the man’s characteristic feature.

Blonde hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, they found Taehyun, but is he okay? You'll have to wait to find out. Thanks again to everyone that reads and comments on this story! I really do love reading all of your lovely comments. It brightens up my week, especially when I have a bunch of exams and studying to do. As always, here are some questions:
> 
> 1) Favorite pairing so far (doesn't need to be a romantic pair!)
> 
> 2) Favorite TXT song? (If you can choose, because I don't even know if I could)
> 
> Again, thank you all for all of your support! I really appreciate all of you. Stay safe and see you at the next update!


	7. Stabilize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So after the way the last chapter ended, I hope y'all are excited to see what happens. Will questions be answered? Or will more pop up? We'll have to see! But I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

Yeonjun didn’t think before he ran forward, the blonde’s body laying limp on the grass next to a couple trees. With how dark the area was, Yeonjun was surprised Soobin saw the man at all, his blonde hair the only clue that anybody was there in the first place. Soobin was stuck in place, the shock of seeing the man’s limp body too much for him in the moment as he waited for his medication to kick in.

Yeonjun quickly reached Taehyun, kneeling down as he looked for any sign of life. Yeonjun went to place his hands on Taehyun’s shoulders to turn him over when his hands went directly through the boy’s body. Yeonjun quickly pulled his hands back, even more terrified when the boy’s body didn’t even flinch.

“Soobin!” Yeonjun turned towards the man, his eyes filled with panic. “Help! Please, help!”

Soobin shook his head, snapping himself out of his shocked state as he rushed forward. He could see Yeonjun continue to try and touch Taehyun, as if trying to find a way to help. By the time Soobin reached Yeonjun and Taehyun, Yeonjun had tears starting to fall down his face. Soobin had rarely seen the dead cry, the emotions being so raw that they affected Soobin as well.

“I-I can’t t-touch him. I-I don’t know h-how to help him.”

Yeonjun choked out the words, the emotion coursing through his as he frantically kept trying to touch the man in front of him. With every failed attempt came another rush of tears. Soobin took a glance at Yeonjun, absolutely broken at seeing the man so distraught. Soobin quickly brought his attention back to Taehyun, bring his pointer and middle finger to Taehyun’s upper neck as he looked for a pulse while his eyes looked for any sign of breathing.

After moving his fingers closer to Taehyun’s jaw, Soobin sighed in relief, his eyes closing as he tried to calm himself down. He could feel the thumps of Taehyun’s heartbeat against his fingers, opening his eyes with another deep breath. He looked at Yeonjun who was still next to his friend but had stopped the attempts to try and help.

“He’s alive. He’s okay.” He took another peak at Taehyun, re-establishing the pulse to be sure. When he looked back at Yeonjun, he saw the man had his hands covering his eyes. “Hey, hey. He’s okay. We found him. He’s going to be okay.”

Soobin went to put his hand on Yeonjun’s shoulder before pulling back, realizing that he had no way to truly comfort the man other than with his words. He placed his hand on Taehyun’s forehead, feeling that his skin was a little warm to the touch. Seeing that it was still chilly outside from the breeze, Soobin became a little concerned. He began gently pulling on Taehyun’s body, getting ready to pick him up.

“What are you doing?” Soobin looked to see that Yeonjun had composed himself, his eyes still slightly red-rimmed as he looked between Soobin and Taehyun.

“We need to get him to the medical center. He already has a fever, and we don’t know why he collapsed in the first place.”

Soobin finished picking up Taehyun, holding the man bridle style. While the blonde wasn’t as tall as him, he wasn’t short by any means. Soobin was surprised with how light the man’s body was, although the boy’s body was completely limp and made it difficult for Soobin to get a good hold on him. He made sure he had a secure grip on Taehyun before looking back to Yeonjun.

“Yeonjun, are you okay? Do you want to come with me to the medical center?”

Yeonjun wiped his nose before whispering a quiet “yeah,” starting to walk next to Soobin as they made their way towards the medical center. Soobin estimated it to be about a five-minute walk, knowing that there was a part of the center that was open 24 hours. While walking, the atmosphere became heavy as Soobin looked towards Yeonjun. After taking a quick look around and assuming Taehyun was still unconscious, he spoke up.

“Are you sure you’re okay. I don’t mean to push, but you seemed really panicked back there. We can talk about it if you want.”

Soobin continued to carry Taehyun as the silence between them became uncomfortable. Even though he hadn’t known Yeonjun for too long, he seemed to be more on the energetic side. So, this new quiet side to him made Soobin worry.

“I just …” Yeonjun looked towards the ground as if trying to gather his thoughts. “I couldn’t imagine Taehyun going what I went through. The feeling of … of dying was so painful and scary. I just don’t want him to experience that. At least, not yet.”

Soobin looked at Yeonjun as he talked, nodding as the boy went along. He occasionally checked on Taehyun, being sure that his condition wasn’t worsening. When Yeonjun finished, Soobin stopped walking. Yeonjun looked at him confused, not sure why they were stopping when the medical center was in their sights.

“Soobin?”

“I can’t imagine how terrifying that was for you.” Yeonjun looked to see Soobin sniffling slightly. “You must have been so scared, especially when no one else could see you. I … I can’t imagine being in that situation.”

Soobin could feel the tear fall onto his cheek but didn’t have any way of wiping it away, since his hands were currently full. He had seen dead people his entire life, but he never really thought about what it was like to die, what it felt like.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. You can see me, right? I’m not alone anymore, so please stop crying.”

Yeonjun felt bad for making the boy upset, not wanting to see him cry. However, every time he wanted to comfort Soobin, he was quickly reminded why he couldn’t, always becoming frustrated at being robbed of everyday actions that he could no longer do. He watched as Soobin sniffled a little, looking towards the medical center before looking back at Yeonjun.

“Okay. We should probably get Taehyun over there.” Soobin nudged towards the medical center.

Yeonjun nodded as they began walking forwards. It wasn’t long before Soobin maneuvered Taehyun in his arms to open the door to the medical center. Upon his arrival, the person at the front desk gasped in shock, quickly getting out of their chair. They shouted something to the back while bringing over something that looked like a gurney over to Soobin.

Soobin instinctually placed Taehyun in the gurney, being sure the boy laid as comfortably as he could. A nurse came from the back area of the center, stethoscope around their neck as they started assessing Taehyun.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. I was …”

Soobin looked towards Yeonjun, realizing that he couldn’t tell the nurse the entire truth. What was he supposed to say: a dead guy asked him to look for his friend, because he went missing? That was last thing Soobin wanted to do. Not missing a beat, Soobin quickly recovered, looking at the nurse as they moved the stethoscope around Taehyun’s chest.

“I was out for a late-night walk when I saw him collapsed on the ground. He was hiding in the dark by some trees, but his body was completely limp, as if he just collapsed suddenly for some reason. I made sure he had a pulse and came here.”

The nurse nodded along as Soobin spoke, finishing their initial checkup as they whispered to the other staff next to her. Soobin noticed the other staff member writing something on a clipboard. After a couple more words, the blonde was wheeled to the back of the medical center. The nurse turned towards Soobin.

“Do you know him?”

“I think his name is Taehyun, but I don’t know his last name.”

“Kang.” Soobin quickly turned his head towards Yeonjun. “His last name is Kang.”

“Hello? Are you okay?”

When Soobin turned back towards the nurse, they had a worried expression on their face. Soobin looked confused as well until it clicked. The nurse couldn’t see Yeonjun, so they had no idea what Soobin was looking at. The nurse had looked in Yeonjun’s direction but just looked back at Soobin, not seeing the pink-haired boy in front of them.

“Ugh, sorry. Just worried is all. His last name might be Kang?”

“I thought you just said that you didn’t know his last name.”

“It’s just a guess.”

Soobin could feel the nurse’s gaze on him, sweat starting to build up on his forehead as he became increasingly more nervous. The last thing he needed was a member of the medical staff thinking he was crazy. The nurse looked at him suspiciously before moving behind the desk and typing on the computer. Soobin stood awkwardly in the lobby, his hands clasped together as he tried to act as normal as he could. He noticed Yeonjun walk up next to him, but he made sure to not look at him at all, not wanting to bring anymore unwanted attention to himself.

“Well, would you look at that. There’s a student that goes by Kang Taehyun, and the profile picture seems to match the boy you brought in. Some good guess you made.”

Soobin laughed nervously, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, one great guess.”

“Well, thank you for finding him and bringing him here. We hope he’ll make a quick recovery.”

Soobin nodded as the nurse moved away from the desk and towards the back of the center. Soobin let out a large sigh, all the air he’d been holding in finally exhaling out of his body. He went to turn towards the exit when he noticed Yeonjun, the man still staring in the direction they took Taehyun. Soobin surveyed his surroundings, seeing that they were alone for the moment but decided to whisper anyways.

“You can go see him if you want. They won’t be able to tell your there, and it may make you feel better.”

Yeonjun stood there for a couple more seconds before turning around towards the exit as well, his eyes dragging as if he wanted to do anything but leave. He looked towards the ground, a deep breath leaving him before he started walking towards the exit. Soobin wasn’t expecting the man to start walking, jogging slightly to catch up with him before falling into step.

“It’s fine. I’ll see him around.”

Soobin opened his mouth to speak but slowly closed it, not sure what he could say to make the situation lighter. Soobin put his hands in his pockets, the chilly air causing him to shiver slightly. He started walking in the direction of his dorm when he noticed that Yeonjun had come to a stop. He turned back towards the man, still seeing Yeonjun looking towards the ground.

“Yeonjun?”

“I think I’m gonna head out. Need some time to … process.”

Soobin could only nod, not sure what to say after what just happened in the past fifteen minutes. Soobin watched as Yeonjun turned to his left, his hands in his pockets with his head turned down slightly. All Soobin could think about was how dejected Yeonjun looked, only wishing he could understand what the other was feeling.

Soobin sighed before turning back towards his dorm. He was only a couple minutes away, excited to get back into the warmth of the building. It wasn’t terribly cold outside, but the chill was starting to seep in. Just as the building came into view, Soobin thought he heard someone to his right, turning his head at the sound.

He noticed a younger guy with curly brown hair, the man’s features something he’d seen much more recently than he ever had before. The boy looked absolutely distressed. It was obvious from a distance that his breathing was erratic, the man looking somewhat panicked. Soobin sighed once again before turning towards him, thinking that this night was just out to get him.

“Kai? Is that you? Are you okay?”

Kai looked at Soobin, the panic in his eyes continuing as it became apparent that the boy was trying to catch his breath. After a couple seconds of heavy breathing that began to equilibrate, Kai looked up at Soobin, the man’s cheeks dusted pink from exertion.

“I’m just looking for my friend, but I haven’t been able to find him. I’m starting to get a bit worried, since he’s not answering his phone either.”

“Are you looking for Taehyun?”

Kai’s eyes immediately dart towards Soobin, all of the younger’s attention now fixed on Soobin. Soobin felt uncomfortable under the stare, his initial reaction to look at the ground. When he looked up, he could see Kai nodding quickly and energetically.

“Yes! Yes, that’s him. Have you seen him?”

“Yeah. I found him passed out on the ground and brought him to the medical center. He’s probably going to stay the night there. He looked like he was in pretty rough shape when I found him.”

Kai’s expression immediately turned to one of worry. Without missing a beat, Kai began running towards the medical center, turning his torso as he waved towards Soobin.

“Thank you!”

Before Soobin could respond, Kai was out of his sight. Soobin smiled, glad he was able to help them out. After finally reaching his dorm building and entering his room, his mind started to fill with more questions than answers.

_What even happened tonight? Why does Taehyun seem to be scared of Beomgyu? Why did he pass out? Is Yeonjun okay? He left so suddenly that I didn’t have time to ask. Although, tonight’s events probably didn’t bring up the best of his memories._

Soobin sighed, immediately going to his room in hopes of getting some sleep. His mind was full of questions, but what he really needed was for it to be calm. If his mind kept going like this, there was no way he was going to get any sleep. Soobin did his nighttime routine, brushing his teeth and slowly climbing into bed. He finally realized that, since he took his anxiety medication so late in the day, he was much calmer than he usually was. His body became heavy as he turned off the lights and climbed into bed, his head quickly hitting the pillow.

_I’ll try to answer some of these later. For now, let’s sleep._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many things are happening. There's still so much unanswered. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and like always, I have questions for you if you'd like:
> 
> 1) So, I watch the FanLive at 3AM today, and man, I had a swirl of emotions. I laughed, I cried, I had an absolute amazing time, and seeing the boys be so vulnerable to MOA just shows how much they trust us, and I just hope they had a great time. Did you get to see it?
> 
> 2) Favorite hobby? It can literally be anything!
> 
> Thank you again for reading this chapter and story! I really do appreciate all of you, and your comments and love are literally the highlight of my week. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and until next update! =^_^=


	8. Blurry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So, this chapter is gonna be slightly shorter than usual, since I wanted to end it at a certain spot. Get ready for a little angst haha. Hope you enjoy it! =^_^=

_My head … it’s aching. I haven’t had a headache this bad in a long time. And my body … it hurts. Why am I in so much pain._

Taehyun grunted slightly as he started to gain consciousness. He had a hard time opening his eyes, the harsh light pounding into his eyes. The difference between the darkness he was in and the light of the room cause his eyes to squint harshly, blinking a couple times in hopes to adjust his vision.

After his eyes began to adjust, he tried looking around the room in hope of understanding what was going on. However, he only had enough strength to move his head slightly. His eyes were still squinting as his eyes were taking a long time to adjust. As he looked around, he began to panic.

_Where am I? How did I get here? What … what happened earlier? I don’t remember anything after … the cafeteria. Why can’t I remember anything?_

Taehyun’s breathing began to increase, the panic starting to set in. His heart began to pick up speed, his brain just now registering that a machine was monitoring his heart rate to his right. The beeping of the machine allowed him to recognize his panic faster than usual.

_Okay, Taehyun. Your heart is beating way too fast. We need to calm it down. Just … breathe slower. Man, that’s way easier said than done. And I still have no idea where I am. I think … I think I’m about to have a panic attack._

Taehyun’s heart rate continued to pick up speed, his breathing becoming harsher and heavier as his head tried looking around faster for any clues. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, his lungs struggling for air. He quickly looked to his left, his breathing stopping entirely.

“K-Kai?”

Taehyun took in the sight of his friend, the man’s head laying on top of his hands as he slept. He was sitting in a chair with his head and forearms on the bed. By the looks of it, Kai had been next to him for a while. Taehyun always told Kai how handsome he was, but with the sunlight shining in through the window, it only accentuated his soft features.

Just as Taehyun was looking from the window to Kai, being sure that he wasn’t imagining the boy there, Kai’s eyes began to crease as he grunted slightly. Taehyun could tell Kai was waking up, the boy’s eyes fluttering open as he yawned.

“Hyun, you’re awake. I’m glad.”

It was obvious to Taehyun that the boy sounded tired, as if he had stay up throughout most of the night watching him. Taehyun was worried about him but still didn’t understand what happened the night before after the cafeteria incident. Taehyun watched as Kai got up and headed towards the door. Taehyun gripped the bed sheets, anxious about the man leaving him. As if Kai could sense Taehyun’s early distress, he gripped the doorknob and looked towards the man in bed.

“I’m just grabbing the nurse. They need to know you’re awake now.”

Taehyun nodded as Kai smiled, slowly leaving the room before closing the door. Taehyun let go of a sigh he didn’t realize he was holding, laying his head back in the pillow as he tried to remember anything from the night before. Before he could replay the events in his head, Kai came into the room followed by a nurse.

“It looks like you’re finally awake. Hope you rested well.” The nurse approached Taehyun, looking at his vitals before grabbing a clipboard that had his chart details on it.

“Yeah, I’m rested. I just …” Taehyun paused, his eyes dissociating in the distance.

“Just?” The nurse looked at him questioningly. Kai also looked worried, not sure what was going on.

“I don’t remember anything after dinner last night. Is that … normal?”

It seemed like a stupid question to Taehyun, because of course it wasn’t normal. He looked at the nurse, hoping that they would be able to give him some answers. But when he glanced towards Kai, the boy only seemed to look more and more worried as time passed.

“After the fall you had, temporary amnesia may be normal. However, it shouldn’t last too long.”

“I … fell?”

“According to the young man that brought you in, he said you had collapsed on the ground and were unresponsive. You’re lucky he found you and brought you here.”

“W-who?

“Soobin.”

Taehyun looked towards Kai as the name left his lips. Even through his foggy mind, the name rang a bell. Taehyun ran through his memories quickly, placing the name with the tall boy with deep blue hair. When he thought harder, he thought he could place Soobin in the cafeteria last night, but his brain was still pretty hazy.

“O-oh. That was nice of him.”

The conversation ended as the nurse did some final checkups on Taehyun, being sure he was stable before being released. Taehyun was still shaky on his legs, Kai helping him out of the medical center. They were lucky it was a Saturday, although Taehyun thought it was a terrible way to start a weekend. They were a couple feet out of the medical center before Kai broke the silence.

“Did you want to go back to our room? You seem pretty tired. I can grab food for you too, if you want.”

Taehyun was walking slowly, Kai’s left arm around his shoulder. When he looked towards Kai, all he could see was worry painted across his friend’s face. He looked around the campus, the figures slightly blurry as his vision was taking some time to equilibrate.

“I should probably rest.” Taehyun smiles slightly, causing Kai to smile as well.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

Kai helps to guide Taehyun back to their dorm, slowly entering the dorm room before closing the door behind them. Kai leads Taehyun to his room in the dorm, gently placing him on the edge of his bed. Taehyun was still feeling unwell, breathing slowly to try and get a hold of himself. Kai backed up a couple steps before facing Taehyun.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You look … rattled.”

Taehyun looked up at Kai, still seeing the worry on his face. He decided to lay back in the bed, grabbing the blanket on his bed and pulling it over him. Taehyun was laying on his side, facing Kai as he saw the man sit in his chair by the desk in his room.

“I just feel sick still. All I remember is running and feeling dizzy.” Taehyun sighed, his body sinking further into the bed.

“Do you remember _why_ you started running?”

Kai saw Taehyun’s eyes look towards the floor before his body turned away from Kai and towards the wall. Kai could see Taehyun’s body sink into the mattress as if his body became heavier with the question. Kai got off the chair, taking a few steps forward.

“Don’t. I …” Kai stopped in his tracks, waiting for Taehyun to finish. “I want to be alone.”

Kai sighed, turning around and opening the door. When he was halfway out the door, his hand still on the doorknob, he turned his head back towards Taehyun. Even with his back turned towards him, Kai could tell Taehyun was in no mood for talking. Kai sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly.

“Let me know if you need anything.”

Kai took one more look before closing the door. He decided to give Taehyun some time, moving to their living room and turning on the television. Even with Kai’s favorite show playing, he couldn’t help but continue to take looks into the small hallway where Taehyun’s bedroom was.

_He can’t ignore this forever. He’ll have to tell him eventually._

Kai took one more glance at the hallway before refocusing on the television, grabbing some schoolwork to do. He spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for Taehyun to walk out of his room while working on his schoolwork, occasionally taking glances towards the hallway in worry.

\---------------------------------------------------------

After last night, Soobin had still felt unsettled, hoping that getting food would help him settle. He moved out of his dorm with his bag, bringing along a couple notebooks and his laptop in hope to get some work done while eating. Just as he was passing another dorm building, he noticed what seemed to be an older couple struggling slightly. He assumed the couple were parents of a student, trying to get into the dorm to visit.

Soobin sighed, deciding food can wait and approached the couple. When he got closer to them, he could tell that the couple was frustrated, Soobin assuming that their child was being slow in letting them into the building. Soobin put on a smile, genuinely wanting to help the couple as much as he could.

“Hello! You seem lost. Can I help you?”

“Who are you?” The man looked at Soobin, his tone coming off a little harsh at how annoyed he was at the situation.

Soobin took a deep breath, not wanting his anxiety to show in front of these new people. His gaze met the floor for a second before returning to the couple.

“I’m a … a student here.” Soobin winced at his stutter, taking another breath before continuing. “It just looked like you both were having a hard time.”

The woman put her hands on the man’s arm, both of their temperaments quickly calming down. Soobin was thankful, taking another deep breath himself. He could feel his anxiety settling. The woman looked back at Soobin.

“We are supposed to come pick up some things from our child’s dorm, but the access card they gave us isn’t working.”

Soobin saw the man holding a guest access card in his hand. He knew from past experience that the guest access cards were always a hit or miss on whether they worked or not. Soobin looked through a window in the building, seeing the dorm’s security guard in the office of the lobby.

“I’m sorry it’s causing you trouble. I can swipe my card and get you into the lobby.” Soobin points to the window. “It looks like there’s a security guard in there that can help you get to their dorm.”

The man and woman both smiled, watching as Soobin moved towards the swipe access for the building. Just as Soobin was about to swipe his card, he heard footsteps running towards him. He turned his head around to see Yeonjun staring at the couple, his feet stopped in his tracks as he looked somewhat horrified.

“Mom? Dad?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes! So, if you haven't read any of my other stories, you know I absolutely LOVE cliff hangers. But I can't say that you guys like it so much. And unfortunately, it'll be at least a week until I update again, so the angst must unfortunately stay for another week. Here are some questions to answer if you like:
> 
> 1) So ... how you feeling about the cliff hanger?
> 
> 2) What do you think is up with Taehyun? Any theories?
> 
> 3) Favorite animal or animal you think resembles you the most (can be a fantasy creature)?
> 
> As always, thank you all for reading these stories! I really do appreciate all of you! I'd like to give a shoutout to @fairiehyk, @Andrea1456, @fame_yoongi, @Cookiesday, @Lulabby14, @hadesofficial, @kk182, @axrtgyu, and @belleyeonjun for commenting on this story and giving it lots of love! Thanks to everyone that reads the story and gives it love as well! Until the next chapter! =^_^=


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